Trust Me, It's Yours
by camihere
Summary: What if Brooke really was pregnant during season 1? Lucas tries to gain Brooke's trust back in order to be involved in his child's life while Brooke deals with being a teen mom. Brucas with lots of Breyton and Bake friendship.
1. When Everything Goes Wrong

A/N: Hey, people! Just to let you know, I'm Brazilian… so there might be some little grammar mistakes, but I believe the story is readable… So anyway, this story takes place after episode 1x19, when Brooke tells Lucas she isn't pregnant… Except that, in here, she actually was! Oh, and the story name is because of Brooke's line when she tells Lucas she's pregnant after he doubts the baby is his. Anyway, enjoy the story and review! :)

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter I

When Everything Goes Wrong

Brooke cried silently on her bed as she bit the sheet that rested upon her body. It had been exactly twenty eight hours since she found out she was pregnant. Pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child. Even worse, she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend who thought she was a slut's child.

She had just had a nightmare where her baby was born and, instead of having her eyes and hair and smile, the baby had two green heads, only three fingers in each hand and four arms.

She laughed through her sobs for her own silliness and turned on the lamp that laid on the table beside her bed. She searched the room with her eyes, looking for the TV's remote, and found it lying on the floor next to the door. She took a deep breath and got up from her bed, walking towards the control. She turned on the TV, pressing a small red button, and lied back down on bed, only this time with her feet resting on her pillow.

She whipped away the tears that got her face all wet as she searched for something good to watch.

There was nothing good on TV. Her mind wandered back to the subject she least wanted to think about; what was she going to do? Getting back together with Lucas for the baby's welfare was out of question. First because Lucas thought she was just a dirty slut, second because right now she pretty much hated him, and third because he probably would just turn out like his father, Dan Scott.

Brooke shivered on the thought of Lucas becoming Dan. She quickly turned her head from the TV when she three knocks on the door. Who other than Lucas Scott had just shyly emerged from behind the white door? Brooke quickly turned off the TV and sat down angrily on the covers of her bed.

"What part of 'stay away from me' do you not understand?" she fought the urge to throw the remote on his head.

"Look, just give me 60 seconds, ok?" he looked like a lost puppy.

"I'm sorry but argument cutoff was 9 o'clock."

"Well, I don't want to argue", he approached her bed and seemed to be choosing words carefully. "You don't even have to say anything. Just… listen."

He sat next to her on her bed and looked down for a second before continuing.

"My dad… didn't want me, okay?" Brooke listened carefully as he bitterly talked about his father. "Not just that he didn't want to claim me; he didn't want me to be born. I always thought that when I started a family I'd be… older, and settled, and I'd be...

"In love?" Brooke interrupted him in a bitter tone.

"Yeah", it took him a second before he responded, but when he finally did, Brooke realized that was not what she was expecting, even though that was the obvious answer. She looked away, her eyes burning from the tears that wanted to be formed. She blinked twice to stop them for appearing. "But so did my mom."

"Lucas..." all she wanted was that he left her alone.

"No… this whole thing scares the hell out of me, okay? But whatever you decide to do, I'll be there. And if you're not ready, then you're not ready. But if you want to have this baby, then so do I. And whatever it takes for me to be a good father, I'll be there. Always. I promise you. I won't let you down."

At that point, Brooke couldn't take it anymore and let the tears fall freely from her eyes. There he was, Lucas Scott, the guy who broke her heart, being sweeter than she thought a person could be, and all she could think of was how lucky her baby was to have him. She couldn't believe how he could be that sweet when he wasn't even in love with her.

"You're damn right you're not gonna let me down", she sobbed. "I won't put my hopes on you, Lucas. I know you're going to be the best father to that child, but that's how far my hopes on you are. Other than that, there's nothing else I want from you."

"Brooke, I'm **sorry** I hurt you, ok?" he put his hands on his face in a tired gesture and then looked back at her. "I know you didn't deserve that, but…"

"That's not about that, Luke!" Brooke looked up to stop the tears from falling, but didn't manage to. They fell from her face just as if her will had no power over them. "You called me a _slut_! You said you weren't even sure the baby was yours! You were mean! For a moment I even forgot who had cheated on whom."

Lucas had no words. They stood in silence for a minute before Lucas finally spoke, not looking into her eyes:

"I'm sorry" He looked up and his heart broke to see all those tears flooding her green eyes. She looked away. "I… I was just so mad and scared and you just wouldn't stop provoking me, I guess I just… Listen, Brooke. I never meant to hurt you."

"That doesn't really matter, Luke" she finally looked at him in the eyes. "Cuz in the end it all hurts just the same."

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but Brooke was faster:

"I want you to be there for our baby, Lucas. But that's all. I don't think I can ever forgive you. I wish I could; I wish I was bigger than that, but… it just hurts too much… you know?"

She had a desperate look in her eyes, as if she _needed_ him to understand. So he did the only thing he could think of. He nodded.

And then he walked away, defeated.

&

Brooke woke up the next morning after another nightmare. This time, it was worse than a baby with two heads, four arms and twelve fingers. The baby had the exact same face as Dan Scott, only on a baby's body.

She shivered with that thought and tears started to form on her eyes all over again. All she wanted to do was to stay in bed all day. She didn't want to go to school. Not that anyone would miss her, anyway.

But today she had cheer practice, and, if there was one thing that could get her head off of her problems, that thing was cheer practice. Well, that and booze, but it was only six in the morning and she was pregnant.

Brooke dragged herself off of bed and walked towards the bathroom. It was going to be a long, long day.

&

Peyton reentered the gym with some of the cheerleaders after practice and her eyes locked with Lucas' as soon as she said goodbye to the other girls. Brooke didn't say one single word to her during cheer practice, which she knew it was worse than when she was being bitchy. If Brooke is bitchy, she cares; if she ignores you, than you no longer exist to her.

"Well, the good news is; I'm back" He said. "Bad news is; I suck."

She walked towards him with a sympathetic smile.

"You ok?" She asked as she looked at his shoulder.

"Yeah… just a little tight."

"Here…" Peyton put her hands around his arms and started to massage it carefully. Years as cheerleader had given her experience with wounds. "You're just rusty. Pretty soon you'll really suck, just like before."

Lucas chuckled.

"Better?" She asked. Lucas smiled and nodded slowly, which made Peyton smile back.

"You know, I'd tell you two to get a room, but then you've already done that."

Peyton turned her head quickly as she heard Brooke's voice echo in the empty gym. Then the only sound that she heard was the one of the metal doors closing. Peyton looked down in a mixture of sadness and guilty.

"Sorry" She gave Lucas a small smile before running out of the gym, trying to catch Brooke.

"Brooke!" She ran after her ex-best friend. For a person so small, Brooke definitely could walk pretty fast. "Brooke, we gotta stop doing this!"

"Fine" She said without even turning around to face her. "I'll stop talking to you and you can definitely stop talking to me."

"Okay" Peyton stopped walking, and, after her previous word, Brooke stopped talking too and turned around to face her. Peyton had forgotten Brooke was so good at arguments; she always had an answer filled with poison on the tip of her tongue. "I mean, we're not really friends anymore, are we?"

"You know, for a fake blonde you catch on slow."

"Alright, I tried apologizing to you and I'm done trying now", Peyton didn't really mean that. She loved Brooke with all her heart, but everytime they had a fight, Brooke would become the world's biggest bitch. She just couldn't stand having her heart broken, and Peyton knew that better than anyone else. She was tired of apologizing, but that didn't mean she didn't still love Brooke.

"Good", Brooke screeched her teeth inside her mouth angrily, and Peyton knew that that was what she did when she wanted to argue without crying. "I mean, it's really pretty pathetic."

"Fine", said Peyton. "If that's what you want; fine."

And then Peyton walked away. Little did she know Brooke needed her more than ever now. So the brunette turned around and walked towards her car, trying to hold back the tears.

_It's just you and me now, baby; just us against the world._

&

Brooke walked by the hallways, trying to get to her car without bumping into Peyton or Lucas. She saw the back of Haley near two girls and wondered if Lucas had told her already. As far as she knew, Lucas told her pretty much everything. Haley sure was friends with Peyton, but she would never stick with Peyton knowing that her best friend was going to be a parent together with his ex-girlfriend. So maybe now she could be friends with her; Lord knew she could use one.

"Thanks for the invite, Haley", Brooke heard one of the girls saying. "You rock."

"Sure", Haley said as she turned around, nearly bumping into Brooke, who smiled.

"Hi, friend", she smiled.

"Hey, Brooke", for her simple response, Brooke realized she didn't know the news yet. So she thought of an excuse to talk to Haley.

"So, when's the party?" She gave Haley her best fake smile. The last thing she wanted was to go to a party where everyone would be drinking except for her. So she'd just invent an excuse not to go later and tell Haley or Nathan.

"Well, it's Saturday night, but…"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tip off the paparazzi", Brooke's smile was real this time. She didn't need to tip off the paparazzi; she knew those two girls from before would do that.

"Oh no, I'm not worried, we're just trying to keep it small", Haley didn't look at her in the eyes. "So…"

Brooke felt a deep pain in her heart. She couldn't believe she was a hundred percent alone now. Not even Haley James wanted to talk to her, left alone see her in her party. She was sure she had invited Peyton. Ugh, Peyton. Just to think of her made her want to punch someone.

"Peyton said not to invite me", Brooke stated.

"No, she didn't", Haley now sounded annoyed, like _she_ didn't want her at her party. She could at least play guilty. "Not exactly."

"Alright", Brooke felt angry and hurt, but controlled her anger. Well, not a hundred percent, but at least enough so she wouldn't punch Haley right there. "You know, have your little party, and play your naked twister, and..."

"Brooke", Haley sounded a little guilty now. "It's really just gonna be a couple of friends."

"Right", her anger had vanished, but she was still hurt. "But I'm not one of them. Whatever."

She walked away with all the dignity she had left and fought back the tears that wanted to form in her eyes.

&

"Brooke!" Brooke was already inside her car when she heard Lucas calling her name. She pressed a button and the window opened. She was trying her best to avoid him, but that wasn't really working.

"What do you want now, Lucas?" Brooke sounded inpatient. "I'm really not in the mood for your bullshit right now, so…"

"Hey, hey, wait!" Lucas threw his hands in the air. "I come in peace. Ok?"

"Fine."

"So…" Lucas rested his arms on the window so he could look at Brooke. "Haley's having a party Saturday and…"

"Oh, yeah", Brooke cut him off. "The party I was just uninvited to? Yeah, right, I know which one. Hope you have fun with your precious Peyton."

And, with that, she drove away, nearly running over Lucas' feet. He jumped in order not to lose his toes and looked around for Haley. When he finally saw her talking to Nathan, he walked towards them.

"Hey, Nathan" Lucas looked at Haley. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Oh", she shared a look with Nathan and nodded. "Sure. C'mon."

Nathan waved at them and walked away as they walked on the opposite direction. Lucas seemed to be choosing words carefully.

"Did you tell Brooke not to come to your party?" He finally asked.

"Oh, that", Haley nodded. "Yeah. I thought that was what you wanted. And she had this huge fight with Peyton, so I thought that…"

"I'd choose Peyton over her?"

"Well… Yeah. Don't you?"

"Yes", he said. "I mean, no. Listen, Brooke's going some really tough stuff right now and I just… Well, she has no one. I feel guilty and…"

"Lucas, what's going on?" Haley demanded.

"I…" Lucas sighed and looked up. "Brooke's… pregnant."

"WHAT?" Lucas shushed her. "I mean… _what?_ Are you sure it's yours?"

Just then Lucas realized how much his words must have hurt Brooke. When he heard Haley questioning Brooke's integrity, he felt really angry.

"Of course it is" Lucas felt his stomach twist. "Brooke was nothing but fateful to me!"

"Well, how would I know?" Haley sounded guilty. "I thought you of all people would be fateful to her, and if I didn't know you enough, how would I know her?"

Lucas opened his mouth to answer, but she was faster.

"But that's not the point", she said quickly. "The point is… Lucas, _how_?! I thought you were using protection!"

"We were!" He was frustrated. "Well, except for once when…"

"Gosh, Lucas!" Haley sounded mad. "Look at your age! You're not old enough for this. You can't do this, Lucas! You're not even a senior yet!"

"I KNOW THAT, OKAY?" He was a little angry, but tried to control the volume of his voice. "I know all of this. Don't you think I'm scared? Hell, I've never been so scared before."

They were silent for a few minutes, only walking, before Haley finally spoke again:

"Did you talk to Brooke?" By now they were already inside Lucas' car.

"Yeah…" He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I told her I'll be there for her and the baby."

"What did she say?"

"She said…" Lucas felt ashamed of himself. "She said she wants me to be there for the baby, but… not for her."

"Oh."

They were silent for a few more minutes.

"I'm worried about her, Hales", he said. "She needs to talk to someone, but whenever I try to talk to her, she pushes me away. I screwed everything up, Haley."

"That's true… Gosh, if I knew that… I wouldn't have been so rude with her. Wow, I can't even believe what she's going through. And all by herself."

"You're not helping, you know", Lucas was feeling guiltier now. "I was thinking… maybe she could talk to you?"

"What?" Haley was surprised. "How would I help her, Lucas? I've never been through anything like that! Not even close, ok? Plus, after today, I don't think she'll want to talk to me."

"But…"

"Sorry, Lucas, but I really can't help her. I'd probably end up giving a speech about responsibility, and that's probably the last thing she needs right now."

Lucas sighed.

"You're right."

As they spent the rest of the short trip to Karen's Café, Lucas thought about Brooke and the baby. Everything he had told her was true; he did want a family. He felt not only scared about having it so soon, but also disappointed at himself for doing that to his mom. His mom had raised him to go to college, have a career and have everything she couldn't have when she was his age because of him. He had just screwed everything up. Haley was right about him when they fought before his accident; he was becoming a different person. A person he did not like to be.

A/N2: Hope you guys liked it :D I was wondering if you could let me know whether you'd like me to follow the serie's storyline or not? Cuz I've been thinking of following main events and changing whatever I think that can be changed, so the story isn't TOO different from the show, but is different enough to be called a fanfic :P anyway, reviews are well accepted! And sorry for the grammar mistakes again… if anyone wants to be my beta, I'd appreciate lol


	2. When Things Can Be Fixed

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter II

When Things Can Be Fixed

"Hey," Peyton turned around to face Lucas when she heard his voice. "I got your Blackout CD. I forgot I had it."

She smiled and walked towards him. He handed her the CD and she grabbed it with a small "thank you". Lucas watched curiously as she walked towards her wardrobe, near a wall where there was a heart with "HJ+NS" inside of it. Peyton grabbed a pen, opened the wardrobe and drew a line on one of the names of the list. Lucas stretched out his neck to read what was written on the door and smiled when he read the words "Missing CDs".

"So, you smell that?" She asked.

"What?"

"That scent in the air," she pretended to be thinking. "I think it's called guilt."

Lucas stood silent by the door, waiting for her next words, which didn't take long to come:

"Brooke and I called it quits today," she finally blurted. Lucas' stomach sunk, so he stood silent again, hoping there was a "but" about to come. "Usually girls don't break up; we kind of just bitch and bicker until we can work it out."

"But… you guys will work it out," said Lucas. "Right?"

"I don't think so, Lucas," she said. "I mean… It's all up to her. I'm not going to apologize. Not anymore."

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to after giving it a second thought. Brooke had to tell Peyton what was going on, not him.

"Anyway I'm glad you came by, I was actually going to call you," Peyton interrupted his brooding. "Haley's party. Are you going?"

"Yeah", he finally got into the room and sat down on Peyton's bed. "How great is that, huh? I don't think Haley's ever thrown a party."

"Do you want to go together?" She asked. Lucas raised both eyebrows. "Not like a date or anything."

"Okay," he said. "How exactly does that work?"

"Let's see… uh… We don't make out. But we don't argue. I think we kind of just have fun."

Lucas looked down, trying to find an excuse not to go with Peyton. Normally, he'd love to, but he felt guilty for Brooke.

"Look we're friends, okay?" She said. "And it would really be great if we could just be friends."

"What about Brooke?" The words slipped from his tongue before he could even think of an answer to her.

"Hang out with her, date her, whatever," she said. "You know, but you and I shouldn't have to avoid each other."

Lucas couldn't find the guts to say no to her, so he nodded and sighed.

"Okay."

XOXOXOXO

Brooke took a deep breath as she stared at the window door. It was pitch black outside and she was desperate for something to drink. Everyone was at Haley's party at Nathan's house, while she was all alone. She looked down at her flat stomach. Well, maybe not _all_ alone.

She raised one trembling hand and opened the café's door, almost jumping at the sound of the door bell.

"Sorry, we're…" The person never finished the sentence. "Brooke. Hi."

"Hey… Karen." Brooke took a deep breath and walked towards the counter. "I, uh… Lucas told you the news, right?"

"Yes", she said. She looked down and continued cleaning the counter. "He did."

"I… uh…" Brooke fought back tears. This was harder than she thought it would be. "I'm sorry."

Karen's eyes softened as she saw the broken girl sitting in front of her. She dropped the tissue she was cleaning the counter with and put one hand on the top of Brooke's. Karen looked down at her with sympathetic eyes, which stopped Brooke from sobbing.

"It's ok", she said. "I'm not mad at you. A little disappointed, maybe… but not mad. I admit, I was mad at both of you when I heard the news, but… Who am I to judge, right?"

"A person who has every right", said Brooke. "I'm sure this was the last thing you wanted for Lucas."

"Of course not", said Karen. Brooke looked curiously at her. "The last thing I wanted was his death. This is more like three or four positions above."

Brooke managed to laugh through her sobs as she whipped away the tears. Karen smiled at her in a strange way and Brooke couldn't remember the last time she had seen a smile like that. It was protective, and yet a little scared and proud. It took Brooke a second before she realized that was the way a mother is supposed to smile at her child.

"Thanks, Karen" Brooke said, her eyes never leaving Karen's.

"No problem", she winked at her and grabbed the tissue from before. "We'll have plenty of time to talk about what we're going to do, ok? But now, let's just… adjust to it. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Now… How about a muffin?" Karen smiled at Brooke, who nodded. "Coming right up."

Karen entered a door that Brooke hadn't noticed before and suddenly the whole café was quiet. Except for a small groan. Brooke turned around and was surprised when she saw a crib on a corner. She got up from her chair and walked towards the crib, where she found a small baby. After staring at the baby for a few seconds, Brooke finally remembered who that baby was.

"Hey, Jenny", Brooke showed the baby a dimpled smile. "Where's your daddy?"

"I heard his out there, boozing", Jake appeared out of nowhere and Brooke nearly jumped, which made him chuckle.

"I asked her where _her_ daddy was, not mine", answered Brooke a little bitterly. Before Jake could process her words, Brooke continued talking. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah…" Jake smiled at her while he caressed Jenny's soft hair. "I needed the extra money and Karen was nice enough to let me bring Jenny along whenever I needed to."

"She's great, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is", they stood in silent for a couple of seconds. "Lucas told me the news, Brooke. How are you dealing with all this stuff?"

Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to. She looked down at Jenny and just then realization hit her: she was going to have a baby. She was going to have a tiny little person even smaller than Jenny to take care of! She would be the person who would be like the _owner_ of the tiny little person inside of her! She would be responsible to feed it, clean it, entertain it and protect it.

"I can't do this", Brooke stated. She didn't sound scared or anything like that. She sounded as if she had just realized something she had already been told, but didn't quite get it until that moment.

"Don't be silly", Jake chuckled. "You can do this. I don't know if you remember how I was before Jenny… If you don't, well, believe me, I've changed. I've grown up, Brooke. You can do this."

"I can't, Jake", she sounded scared now. "Do you _know_ my parents? No? Guess why? Sometimes I forget I know them! They're never here; I don't even know what being a good parent is about. I'd be the worst mom ever."

"Don't say that, Brooke", Jake put one hand on her shoulder, his eyes forcing hers to stare back at him. "Being a parent is about loving, Brooke. You just have to be there and try. Just think about what your parents did that hurt you and do the opposite. Plus, Lucas will help you. I'll help you. Karen will help you! Hell, even Peyton will help you if you let her."

"I don't know about that, Jake", Brooke sighed, finally breaking eye contact with him. "I think I screwed everything up this time."

"Brooke", Jake chuckled. "Peyton would never refuse helping you. In fact, I bet she doesn't even think this is your fault, whatever you guys fought about this time. I just hope it isn't Lucas, cuz this subject is kinda starting to get old."

Brooke laughed.

"You're going to be a good mom, Brooke."

"Thanks, Jake", she said, still not sounding convinced.

"I really believe in what I just said, Brooke", he said. "In fact, I'll let you babysit Jenny one of these days, all by yourself. I don't trust Jenny with anyone, Brooke."

"Oh, no", Brooke shook her hands in the air, which would be really funny if it weren't the situation. "You may be stupid enough to trust me, but I don't trust myself. Not when a baby is involved."

"You'll never be able to do it, unless you have faith on yourself, Brooke", he said. Jake left her side and started cleaning one of the tables near them, leaving Brooke deep in her thoughts. She looked at how innocent and fragile baby Jenny looked and she couldn't help but gently passing two fingers through her thin light hair.

"Brooke?" Karen gently asked her from behind the counter. Brooke turned around and smiled. She gave Jenny one last glance and sat down on one chair, silently eating the muffin offered by Karen, who sat right in front of her.

"Brooke," Brooke immediately looked up as she heard her name being called by the woman she admired so much. "It's going to be ok. Trust me."

Strangely, Brooke did trust her.

XOXOXOXO

Lucas shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Peyton was next to him with a plastic cup of beer secure between both her hands as she stared at the yellow liquid's surface. Ever since they got to the party, Lucas did nothing but nod and smile politely.

"A penny for your thoughts," she said. Lucas looked up at her and felt guilty. Actually, that was a feeling he seemed to be feeling a lot lately. Guilt. He felt guilty for being at a party when Brooke was… hell, he didn't even know where she could be. He just hoped she wasn't drinking or doing anything stupid. However, he also felt guilty for ignoring Peyton when she was trying so hard to be friends with him. And, to top it all, he felt guilty for trying to be friends with Peyton when Brooke needed him so much more than the blonde.

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I… I can't do this."

"What, tell me what you're thinking?" Peyton asked confused.

"No, not that," he said. "I meant… this. Us."

Lucas saw Peyton's smile turn into a frown and he quickly explained himself:

"Wait, I mean…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I feel too guilty for Brooke. I know she's been acting like a bitch lately, but… I don't want to be the one stuck in the middle of this… thing. I don't think we can be friends until you sort things out with Brooke."

"C'mon, Luke," she rolled her eyes. "We shouldn't stop being friends just because Brooke's being… well, Brooke. I know this was all our fault and I really feel bad, I really do, but..."

"No," he interrupted her. "Just… try a little harder with Brooke. There's something really messed up going on and I… I can't tell you what's happening. I think it's up to Brooke. Just… just let her tell you."

He got up and couldn't find the strength to glance at her one last time before leaving.

XOXOXOXO

That night, when Brooke came back home, she had another nightmare. This time the baby was born when Brooke was only four months pregnant, the bump in her belly almost impossible to be seen. In her dream, the baby was the size of her hand, but it was alive. The doctors just gave it to her and went away, and suddenly she was left alone to take care of a baby smaller than a Barbie doll.

Brooke woke up with her face all wet. She raised her hands to clean the sweat off of her face when she realized those were actually tears, which continued streaming down her face against her will.

Before she could even think, her body got up from bed and her feet dragged her downstairs, where she got her keys and left the house.

XOXOXOXO

Peyton was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling above her head. It was plain… probably the only part of her room without at least one of her sketches. She wished it had at least a stronger color, like red or dark blue or green.

"Hey," Peyton's heart stopped for a second as she heard a voice. A second later, she recognized the voice and then her heart started beating ten times faster than usual.

"Brooke," she looked at the door and saw the brunette standing by it. Peyton quickly sat and looked at her watch. It was 3:47.

"I had a nightmare," Brooke said. Peyton bit her tongue in order not to say anything. "And I realized I don't have anyone. Billions of people out there, and there isn't one… One single soul I could count on."

"Brooke, I," Peyton tried talking, but the brunette interrupted her.

"Wait," she said. "Let me finish."

Peyton nodded and her heart beat increased.

"As I drove my car to your house… I realized I was coming here without even knowing where I was going to. Even though my mind didn't remember you as a person I could turn to, my heart took control and drove me here."

Peyton's expression softened and her shoulders slowly fell. She suddenly felt calm and relaxed. So she lied down and patted the spot next to her.

"Come here," without even thinking, Brooke lied down next to the blonde and wrapped her arms around her waist. Peyton's hand unconsciously ran through Brooke's hair and she kissed the side of her friend's head.

"I'm sorry, Peyt," said the brunette. She really meant that.

"Me too," said Peyton.

"I'm pregnant" Brooke's voice was almost inaudible, but Peyton would always remember how scared Brooke's voice sounded as she said those three words.

Always.

A/N: Hey guys! Wow, thank you _so much_ for all the reviews! I was really surprised to have all those reviews; they made me write this chapter faster :) so… review, please! I know this chapter didn't have much action, BUT it was essential that Brooke and Peyton made up, so Brooke can eventually try to be friends with Lucas as well.

Next chapter: Brooke tells her parents.


	3. When Nothing Goes According to Plan

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter III

When Nothing Goes According to Plan

Lucas sighed and rolled in bed. He had gotten home about two hours ago from Haley's party, where he left Peyton by herself. He really hoped Brooke would just tell her the news already, or else he could never fix… this situation.

Just five minutes after he left the party, he saw the cops arriving. He tried to call Haley and warn her, but it was too late. Instead, Nathan was arrested, since he was the owner of the apartment. So Lucas and Haley went to the police station to pay the bail.

_Flashback_

_Lucas and Haley had just arrived when they saw a furious Dan grabbing Nathan's arm. They were arguing, but Lucas couldn't hear what they were saying. So he left the car with Haley just in time to hear Dan's last threat:_

_"Hey," he said. "I brought you into this world; I promise I can take you out!"_

_"Let him go!" it was Lucas' turn to threaten. Just then both Dan and Nathan noticed their presence. Haley looked scared and surprised by his side. She knew Dan could be a jerk, but she had never actually seen it._

_"__And the disappointments just keep on coming," said Dan. Lucas couldn't say this didn't hurt him a little, because it did. But mostly it made his blood boil. "You stay out of this."_

_"Haley," said Lucas. "Go get an officer."_

_Haley was about to run upstairs when Dan's voice flooded their ears again, this time talking to Nathan:_

_"Let me get this straight. Your mom runs off and has a fling, I get the cops to drop the charges and now I'm the bad guy here?"_

_"Dad…" Nathan sounded tired of this, like he just wanted to go home, while Lucas sounded more like someone looking for trouble._

_"__You might want to think before you start trying to make a case for what a great father you've been." Said Lucas._

_"What do you know about me being a father?" asked Dan in a__n accusing voice. Lucas nearly smiled at that._

_"Exactly," he said._

_"__You know what?" now Dan sounded relieved; like he had been keeping a secret for years and just now he was going to reveal it. "Why don't you shut up and go talk to your mom. Tell her you want to know what really happened between us back then."_

_Then he turned around to face Nathan:_

_"And you. You want to ruin your life, go ahead. I'm done here."_

_And, with that, Dan was gone. The three teenagers just stared at each other as Dan walked past them, and, after a second of silence, Lucas spoke:_

_"Come on, it's late. We'll take you home."_

_End Of Flashback_

Lucas just couldn't forget Dan's words. What really happened back then? He wanted to go and ask his mom, but he was scared of what she would say. He meant to ask her last night, when he got home, but instead they started talking about Keith moving.

"Keith is lucky," Lucas thought. He was moving to a brand new town where no one knew him, where he could start over. He honestly wished he could just go with him, but he couldn't leave Tree Hill and Brooke. Well, mostly Brooke, actually. In Lucas' head, if there was someone who deserved to be happy, that someone was Keith. Keith was a father to him for all his life and all of this for nothing, since Karen didn't even love him. So Lucas made sure Keith knew he would always love him.

He just hoped he could be half a good father as Keith was to him.

With that thought, Lucas finally fell asleep… Until someone knocked on his door, only 5 seconds later.

Lucas got up from bed and opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. He looked at his watch and was surprised to see a whole night had passed since he had fallen asleep. It felt as if he had slept for only 5 seconds.

"Get dressed," said Nathan in the exact moment Lucas opened the door.

"Dude, it's six am, what are you doing?"

"We're going running," Nathan smiled.

"No, I'm going to bed," Lucas was ready to close the door when Nathan's smile grew wider and he said:

"I'll just keep knocking."

XOXOXOXO

Meanwhile, Brooke too was wakened up against her will. Only she wasn't wakened up by Nathan Scott… she was wakened up by the newest Scott in town; her belly. Or at least what was inside of it.

"Brooke?" Peyton asked as she watched the brunette get up from bed as if it was on fire and run towards the bathroom. Peyton ignored how much she wanted to go back to sleep and pretend she didn't see Brooke, but for some reason she didn't know, she got up and followed her friend.

Brooke stared at the toilet for a second before Peyton realized what was going on. So she ran to Brooke and pulled her hair back as the brunette emptied her stomach. Peyton did her best not to look at what now filled the toilet as she gave it the flush. She was glad to leave the bathroom, supporting a sick Brooke.

"Oh, my God," she said. "Brooke, are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Brooke sat back down on Peyton's bed and ran a hand through her hair and all across her face. "Just morning sickness. Been having it for a few days now."

Peyton's heart broke at the brunette's statement. Lucas was right; Brooke was going through some messed up stuff. And she had no one.

"Brooke…" Peyton thought of Lucas and how he had acted weird last night. He was really worried about Brooke, but strangely he wasn't **with** Brooke. So that meant he wasn't the baby's father? "Is, uh… Is it… Lucas'?"

Brooke looked up from the floor and kinked one eyebrow at her blonde friend. Peyton immediately regretted asking that. She knew the look Brooke was wearing on her face right now, and usually that look was **not** followed by rainbows and sunshine.

"How dare you…" She quickly got up and grabbed her purse. "How dare you doubt that, Peyton? God! I'm so stupid for believing in you again! We are _so_ over now, Sawyer!"

"Brooke, wait!" Peyton followed Brooke as she quickly started climbing down the stairs. "Brooke, I didn't…"

But then Peyton's heart stopped for a second as she saw the brunette trip on her own foot. Everything seemed to be in slow motion on that moment. Brooke's eyes narrowed as she threw her hands in front of herself to protect her head as an instinct, while Peyton did the same, only not to protect her head, but to grab Brooke's shoulders just in time. She pulled Brooke back hard, so the brunette collapsed backwards, on top of Peyton's belly.

"Shit!" Peyton gasped for air as Brooke's elbow hit her stomach.

XOXOXOXO

"Playoff's are next week," said Nathan as they ran. "Got to get you ready, man. Workouts, studying game tapes, whatever it takes."

"Why?" Lucas managed to breathe out.

"Cause I want to win," Nathan didn't sound tired, different from Lucas. "And I need your help. Besides, you stood up to my dad the other day. I owe you."

"So, listen…" Lucas was finally starting to follow Nathan. "There's something that's been bothering me. That thing Dan said, about asking my mom what kind of parent he was. Any idea what he meant?"

"Probably just more of his mind games, man." Said Nathan, pretending he didn't notice Lucas trying to sound nonchalant. "That's the way he is."

XOXOXOXO

"I think we should see a doctor," Brooke said for the hundredth time that morning as she examined Peyton's back. "You hit the stairs pretty hard, and then I fell on top of you. Really, this doesn't look pretty, Peyton."

"I'm gonna be fine," Peyton pulled her shirt down and ignored the pain as she sat down. "Listen, Brooke… about earlier, I just…"

"We don't have to talk about it, Peyton."

"No, we do!" Peyton insisted. "I need you to know… I didn't mean to call you anything. I just thought Lucas was acting weird… and he went to that party with me, when he was supposed to be with you. So I thought… if he wasn't with you, then maybe he wasn't… the father."

"Oh," Brooke looked away. "Yeah… I'm kinda… giving him the cold shoulder."

"What? Brooke, he's the father, he deserves to…"

"Peyton," Brooke interrupted her. "I just don't want him near me. Ok? He has every right to know the baby, true, but, right now… It's just a tiny bean, okay? So right now I consider it a part of _me_, and, with me, he has _no_ right."

"Okay…" Peyton didn't want to push the subject any further, since they had just got back to speaking terms. They stood quiet for a long time before Peyton finally found the courage to ask:

"Brooke… do you think we'll ever be like we used to?"

Brooke opened her mouth, but then stopped herself. She felt her heart break at the hopeful voice of the blonde. She didn't want to fool her, but she didn't want to be away from her either.

"Sometimes I don't think we can," Brooke said with honesty. Peyton looked broken at the brunette's statement. "And some other times I feel I'm just being stupid… I mean, we're best friends, hoes over bro's, you know? I fight with myself to keep that thought in mind, but… My mind keeps reminding me that if that was true, you would've never done that to me… And I _really_ wish I could just forget that all, you know? But I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you a hundred percent."

"Oh."

"But…" Brooke sighed and smiled weakly. "We can still try… you know? At least try going back to being friends. I'll really need someone to help me out with this whole pregnancy… thing."

Peyton laughed.

"Plus," she continued. "You just saved me from a serious fall that could've hurt my baby… or worse. That was… really… Just…"

"You're welcome," Peyton interrupted with a smile.

XOXOXOXO

Later that same day, Lucas and Brooke had English class together. Brooke sat near Bevin and some other cheerleader that had that same class and Lucas sat behind her. He watched the back of her head move a little as she talked to Bevin, and he couldn't help but notice how shiny her hair was. Made him want to pass his hand through it.

As class started, Lucas couldn't help but notice that the others girls were busy with their conversation, while Brooke just stared out of the window. Lucas followed her gaze, but all that was out there was the blue sky. But he was sure Brooke was seeing a lot more than that; she was seeing her future. Or at least trying to. So Lucas tried to do the same… Only instead of staring at the sky, he stared at Brooke. He could see the tip of her nose as she looked at one of the windows of the wall at their left. For the first time since this whole mess started, Lucas actually started to think of the baby.

Ever since Brooke told him she was pregnant, Lucas did nothing but curse this pregnancy. He thought of how to take care of the baby and study at the same time, the baby expenses, how much he'd have to work… But just now, he could actually _see_ the baby. That baby was going to change his life forever, and, for the first time, he thought maybe it wouldn't be in a negative way. He thought of Jake and how much he loved his little girl, Jenny. He wanted that when older, but if that was happening now… then maybe that wasn't a negative thing. Right?

He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. He wished the baby had her nose… and dimples, too. And her beautiful green eyes. And maybe that little spot she had on her right cheek. And definitely her personality. Coming to think of it, he hoped the baby was all Brooke-ish.

Thinking of all Brooke's qualities, he started to wonder why he thought he was so insanely in love with Peyton. Now, when he looked at Peyton, all he could see was a good looking girl that liked the same music he did. Before, he was so sure… He was so sure Peyton was the one. But now, Peyton was just like any other girl. Well, not _any_ other girl; he knew the girl was special, but she was just… Peyton now.

And Brooke… Brooke was beautiful. And brave. He admired how strong she was being for herself and their baby. But still… he felt he wasn't supposed to feel this. He wasn't supposed to even _think_ of feeling this. He had no right to even look at her, but he couldn't help it. Plus, he wasn't sure he was in love with her, so maybe it was for the best that they had broken up. They were having a baby… To go through that together as a couple, it takes love. And even though he really liked Brooke, he wasn't in love with her.

Or at least he thought so.

"Class dismissed," the teacher finally said. It took Brooke a few seconds before she realized what was going on, Lucas noticed. Everyone was already leaving class while Brooke slowly put her books back in her bag.

"Brooke," Lucas stood next to her after he made sure there was no one else in the room except for the two of them.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering…" he kneeled down so he could look at her in the eyes, since she was still on her chair. "Have you told your parents yet?"

"They were out of town," she was short and cold. She felt guilty for being like that when he was just as scared as her, so she calmed down a little. "They came home last night."

"Oh," Lucas felt relieved that Brooke was a little calmer now, but he couldn't help being nervous about her parents. She never talked about them, and, when she did, she always sounded bitter. "Do you have any idea of how they'll react?"

"Honestly," she sighed. "Not really. I mean… I think they'll be mad, right? I guess that's what every parent would do."

"I guess…" he looked away, a little embarrassed. "Look, Brooke… I…"

"You don't have to say anything," she said. "Really. I understand. I'll handle them. I don't need your help"

"But I want to help!" he was a little bit louder now. "Don't you understand, Brooke? I know the baby will only come in 9 months. I get that. But I don't just want to be a part of the baby's life; I want to be a part of your pregnancy, too! But you just… you keep pushing me away! I know I screwed up, I know I hurt you, and I know my rights are only with the baby. But I want to be a part of the pre-baby period, too. I know you can't stand me, but please… please, let me be a part of it."

Brooke was shocked at his sudden burst, so she just stayed quiet for a few seconds. She thought of Dan and Karen, Lucas' parents. Lucas probably wanted this baby to have what he never had: a real father. Sure, he had Keith, who did all the things a father does with a son, but Lucas lived every day knowing his real dad didn't want him. Just like Brooke did with both her parents. She woke up every day knowing they didn't want her, and that was what she didn't want this baby to have. She wanted this baby to have both her parents, and, if being around during her pregnancy would help Lucas to feel included, then she'd let him.

"Okay," she finally gave in. "We'll talk to them tonight."

XOXOXOXO

That afternoon, Lucas couldn't hold back his curiousness and went from school straight to the café. He didn't know what to do. Brooke was pregnant, but still… life was going on just as if nothing was happening. The Earth did not stop.

The sudden shock of realizing Brooke was pregnant a few days before made Lucas become somewhat paranoid. For some reason he didn't know, everytime he thought of the pregnancy, he thought the baby was coming, when, actually, there were still almost nine months ahead.

"Lucas, hi," Karen smiled when she saw her son.

"Hey, mom," he approached the counter and sat down. The café wasn't very crowded; it was already late for the lunch movement. "So… Brooke's parents arrived last night, and we're planning on telling them, like, tonight."

"I wanna go," Karen stated. Lucas was a little taken aback by her statement, but didn't dare to question her about it. "I want to meet Brooke's parents. I think we already had time to adjust; it's time we talked about this. Maybe they'll need time to adjust, but I still want to meet them."

"Ok," he said. "Hey, ma. I was wondering if we could talk about… something else. Something's been bugging me."

"What is it?"

"It's something Dan told me the other day…"

"What now?" Karen rolled her eyes just at the mention of Dan's name. Things were much easier when Dan wasn't a constant subject.

"He told me to…" Lucas felt a little embarrassed. "Ask you what really happened back then. When you were pregnant… Any idea what he meant?"

"Who knows," Karen avoided eye contact. "It's Dan."

The lack of eye contact didn't go unnoticed and Karen knew that.

"Yeah, but, I don't know. He was talking about what kind of father he was. Was he just messing with me?"

"Lucas," Karen was finally starting to talk and Lucas knew that, so he just kept his mouth shut. "You know that I always have your best interest in mind. Since day one. You believe that, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Well, uh," Karen sounded scared. "After you were born, Dan asked to be in your life."

"You told me he never showed up," Lucas felt his heart beat faster. "That he didn't want anything to do with us."

"He didn't show up at first," Karen reached one hand to put on top of Lucas, trying to make him understand. "But when he moved back to town with Deb he told me that he'd like to help raise you. And he asked for joint custody. I said no."

"Why?"

"I didn't trust him," Lucas removed his hand from under hers. He felt guilty when he saw the look of hurt in his mother's eyes, but he was confused. Dan wanted to be a part of his life… What the hell could that mean? "Lucas… Dan was ready to sue until his lawyer told him since he had left me and gotten another girl pregnant his chances weren't good. You know what Dan is like. I had to make a decision. I had to do what was best for you. And I knew that someday we'd be having this conversation but that was a risk I had to take."

"I have to go."

And, with that, Lucas was gone, leaving a heartbroken Karen behind.

XOXOXOXO

That was it.

Lucas stared at the bright red door, trying to figure out what to do next. Should he knock? Should he call Brooke's cell? He didn't want Brooke's mother or father opening the door to him when he didn't even know them yet. So he decided on call Brooke's cell.

Brooke didn't even pick up. Instead, she put her head out of her window, waved at him, and, a few seconds later, she opened the door to him.

That was it.

"C'mon, my parents just finished dinner," she said. "My dad's not watching golf today, which is good, considering that what he hates the most is when someone interrupts him during his golf time to announce an unwanted pregnancy."

Lucas found Brooke's words really funny, but he couldn't find the strength to laugh. His insides seemed to be playing on a roller coaster; they were going back and forth inside his belly. He felt dizzy and like he was going to throw up, so he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, sounding like a horse.

"Wait," Brooke held his arm. "I, uh… I was wondering if you could pretend you're like… my boyfriend?"

"What?"

"I just figured my parents might not like you after they find out you knocked me up and left me for my best friend…"

"Right."

Brooke grabbed his hand and led him towards a big white door. Lucas' stomach sunk and, without realizing, he held his breath. They finally got there and the sight did not surprise him much. Brooke's parents were no different than he thought they would be. Brooke's father was tall and handsome with grey hair and bright green eyes. He looked serious and intimidating. But Brooke's mother was even worse; not one hair thread out of place. Her clothes were perfectly straight, as well as her posture. For some reason, Lucas immediately thought of Cruela DeVil.

They were going to hate him. Lucas knew it. His hair was messy and his clothes were too simple. He only wore a pair of jeans and a clean blue shirt. They were going to hate him.

Brooke cleared her throat by his side.

"Mom, dad…" Brooke tried to smile. "This is Lucas Scott, my… boyfriend."

There was an awkward silence after that. Lucas felt like it lasted for hours, but it was actually just 5 seconds before Brooke's dad finally spoke:

"Why, hello, Lucas," he offered Lucas a polite smile, but for some reason it only made Lucas even more nervous. "It's the first time Brooke brings a boyfriend to meet us… You must be special!"

Lucas tried to smile, but he was sure his face looked terrified as he did so. Brooke's mom only watched from one corner, one eyebrow raised. Lucas felt as if she was analyzing him, and he had no reasons to believe otherwise.

"Actually…" Brooke led Lucas to a big leather couch, where she made him sit down by her side. Brooke's father got up from his chair near the TV, scotch in hand, and walked towards them. "You might wanna sit down, dad."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Brooke's mom cut in. Lucas' eyes narrowed instantly. That didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Davis. "Oh, please tell me you're not pregnant. Please tell me you're on drugs, or maybe ran over a person while drunk, or…"

Lucas was sure that, if he had been drinking something, he would've spilled it all around himself.

"Mother!" Brooke didn't sound half as shocked as Lucas thought she would. She actually sounded… embarrassed. Just as if her mother had just offered Lucas some pictures of naked baby Brooke, instead of practically saying she'd rather see her own daughter on drugs or driving drunk and running over people instead of having a grandchild. "I… of course I'm not pregnant, I…"

The feeling of certainty he'd spill his drink all over the floor reappeared. He couldn't believe Brooke was doing this. He had to intervene soon, or else the lie would go too far and it would be impossible to turn back. So he interrupted the brunette:

"Brooke!" Brooke opened her mouth a couple of times while staring at him with a guilty look. "Yes, Mrs. Davis, Brooke is pregnant."

He waited for Brooke's parents' reaction… to be honest; he had no idea of what he expected it to be. Brooke's father clenched his jaw and his fingertips started to get white, showing he was holding onto the glass of scotch for dear life.

"Now, I know you're probably mad and disappointed, but I…" Lucas started talking, but was interrupted by Brooke's mom.

"Who knows about it?" She asked.

"… am willing to…" just then Lucas realized Mrs. Davis had said something. "Excuse me?"

"Who knows about it?" She repeated impatiently. Brooke's body tensed beside him.

"Uh… my mom, my friend Jake," Lucas hesitated. "And my… father."

"And Peyton," Brooke added.

"Okay…" it was Mr. Davis turn to interrupt. "Okay, we can fix this. Uh… I think we can talk to your parents, Johnny, and…"

"It's Lucas," Brooke interrupted in a bitter tone.

"That's what I said, sweetheart," he looked at Brooke as if she was crazy. "Anyway, we can make an arrangement with your parents. No one else needs to know. About those two friends of yours… I'm sure they can be bought."

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He was confused. What was he talking about? To buy Jake and Peyton?

"I can call Dr. Gilmore," Brooke's mom cut in. "You can go to Charleston, nobody needs to know. I heard it takes only a couple of days until you can return to your routine."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Davis," Lucas chose his words carefully. "But, uh… What are you talking about?"

"Abortion, of course," she answered as if Lucas was crazy. "What else?"

A/N: Hey, guys! Hope you liked this chapter :D so, I wasn't sure how to describe Brooke's parents reaction, so I just thought of Victoria from season 5 and came up with this crazy couple. Don't think you'll see them much after next chapter… Oh, yeah, and next chapter Lucas and Brooke will get closer; they'll start sharing their feelings. Not their feelings towards each other, but their feelings about their frustrated relationship with their parents and they wonder if they're really doing the right thing by keeping the baby…. So, what do you think? Abortion? Adoption? Tan-dan… Read more and find out! :D


	4. When The Heart Loses Its Way

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter IV

When The Heart Loses Its Way

Brooke's body froze the moment her mother mentioned the word with A. She wasn't surprised when Lucas had no reaction towards her mother's response. The truth is, Brooke suspected her mother would say that, but deep inside she was hoping she would be supportive and understanding at least once in her life.

"I'm sorry?" Lucas kept his mouth opened, but Brooke was sure he wasn't aware of that.

"Wait…" just then it hit Brooke's mom. "You were not planning on keeping it, were you?"

"Well," Lucas paused. "Yeah."

"No" Mr. Davis clenched his jaw as he got up from his chair and put the glass of scotch on the coffee table. "Not a chance in hell. You are _not_ keeping this baby, Brooke Penelope Davis."

As her father said that directly to her, Brooke felt a wave of anger and courage take over her body. She got up from the couch and shook his head in disbelief.

"Just watch me," she said. "C'mon, Lucas, let's go."

Lucas was surprised by Brooke's outburst, but was glad to obey. Just then Lucas understood Brooke a little more. With parents like those, no wonder she was so bitter when she talked about them. He had always thought she was just being… overly-dramatic.

"Brooke," her father said before they had a chance to leave the room. "You are being childish. Don't come back here until you're willing to have an adult conversation."

"I'm being childish?" Brooke's face was red, from all the anger. A scary vein appeared on her forehead and Lucas thought she could explode any minute now. "Abortion is murder. Don't expect me to come back here any time soon."

XOXOXOXO

"That went well," Lucas tried to lighten the mood after five minutes of silence inside his car. Brooke hadn't shed a tear, and Lucas was a little worried.

"I'm sorry," she said. Just then one lonely tear fell from her left eye. She either didn't notice or didn't care, because she did nothing to try to hide it. "That's why I didn't want you there. I… My parents aren't nearly as loving or understanding as your mom."

Lucas almost laughed at that. His mother, who had deprived him of having a normal childhood with his father.

His father.

Was he the jerk he thought he was, or could he, deep down, be just a normal guy who had made bad choices? Lord knew Lucas had made some pretty bad choices before.

"You're brooding," Brooke stated. "Something wrong with your mom?"

"Nah, it's just…" Lucas sighed. "It's Dan."

"Oh," Brooke was surprised. Lucas had never shared anything about Dan with her, except when she told him she was pregnant. He went to her house and told her his father didn't want him to be born. Brooke's heart broke at that moment… She didn't know what to think of Lucas anymore.

Was he the jerk she thought he was, or could he, deep down, be just a normal guy who had made bad choices? Lord knew Brooke had made some pretty bad choices before.

Lucas parked the car and Brooke glanced out of the window only to realize they were at the River Court. He got out of the car and Brooke followed him, curiosity was bigger than her doubts about Lucas' character.

"My mom told me Dan wanted joint custody," Lucas finally said. All of a sudden he felt like sharing this with someone. He had told his uncle Keith before he went to Brooke's house, but, to his surprise, Keith knew nothing about it. He felt guilty for hoping he would argue with his mom.

Brooke stopped on tracks after listening to Lucas' previous words. Lucas walked towards the center of the court and sat down on the cemented ground. Brooke ignored the fact that her head screamed that the ground was dirty and sat down next to him. Her voice was soft when she finally spoke.

"I thought he never wanted anything to do with you."

"So did I," Lucas chuckled. "But my mom told me that, after I was born, he came over and asked for joint custody. But my mom… she said no. And now I can't help but wonder what kind of guy Dan really is. Is he bad? Is he good? Did he just…"

"Made bad choices?" Brooke finished. Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. So he just nodded. "Listen, Dan is a bad guy, Lucas. I've been to Nathan's house numberless times, and Dan was always… that jerk you know."

"Yeah, but didn't I have the right to find out what kind of guy he was by myself? I mean, what if he could be a different guy if he was around me and my mom?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Brooke smiled wisely. Lucas looked confused. "Keith. As far as I know, Keith was always a dad to you, wasn't he?"

"Yeah…"

"Listen, Lucas," Brooke got up from the floor and stared at the sky as she spoke. "Your mom knows what's best for you. Most moms do. My mom was always… well, you've seen her. She was never around, and, when she was, she didn't care about me or spending time with me. But your mom… She deserves some credit for the way she raised you, doesn't she? She was right not to trust Dan. He was the one who suggested abortion, wasn't he? I mean, yeah… he was probably really scared when your mom told him she was pregnant. But it took him more than nine months to realize he should be involved in your life… Plus… I really don't want to tell you this, but it's the truth. If he really wanted you, he would have fought for you. That's what we do to people we care."

Just then she turned her head to face him. Lucas felt a shiver run down his spine as Brooke's green eyes pierced through his soul. He felt as if she could read him like no one else could.

"We fight for them," she said. "That's what we do to people we care."

At that moment, it wasn't hard for Lucas to tell that all she wanted was someone to fight for her.

XOXOXOXO

"So, I hope you don't mind I had to bring Jenny along. Jake kind of asked last minute."

The next day, Brooke went out with Peyton to do what she did best when she felt bad: shopping. Both Lucas and Brooke didn't want to return to their own houses, so they both crashed on Peyton's house. The next morning, Lucas made breakfast for the three of them and left after that.

"Well it's never to early to learn to accessorize, right?" Brooke smiled. She actually enjoyed having the baby with them, even though looking at Jenny kind of scared the hell out of her. Then again, Peyton made it look so easy. She felt grateful to have her friend back and unconsciously put one hand on her belly, leaving it there for only one second before throwing her arm in the air and wrapping it around Peyton's neck. "Want to go look at CDs?"

"Why? So I can listen to you complain as I check out all the new releases?"

"Well we could go try on lingerie and you can listen to me whine about how fat I am," Brooke laughed. You're not fat, she thought.

"You're not fat," Peyton said. Brooke smiled at how obvious girls were.

"I know, I just like to hear it," Brooke smiled gently at her friend. They stopped by a window and started to look at the shoes. "Plus, you better get used to it. When I really get fat, you'll have to lie _a lot_."

"OH!" Peyton laughed. "There's something I never imagined before. Brooke Davis fat. Oh, I really want to live to see that."

"Well, in case you're wondering," Brooke rolled her eyes. "That should be in about four months. I did some research. So, unless you're planning on dying anytime soon, you'll get to see me fat. By the way, you're totally not allowed to die, I'll need someone by my side to take care of this… baby."

"Oh, my God," Peyton laughed even harder. "Brooke Davis fat and doing research. Now that is something I never thought I'd witness. But ok, if that's what you want, I'll try not to die, although I was planning on doing that next week."

"Well, well, well. As a babysitter, apparently you suck."

Both Brooke and Peyton immediately stopped laughing and turned around. Peyton clenched her jaw and Brooke was confused.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Jenny's mom," Nikki smiled. "Who are you? Jake's new bitch? So he got tired of blondie here, uh? What can I say; he's always had a thing for brunettes."

"Oh," Brooke smiled. "So you're the heartless slut who left Jake alone to take care of Jenny. Nice to meet you. Go away."

"Or maybe you could just die," Peyton reached out to take Jenny from Nikki arms, but she stepped back.

"What's your problem, anyway?" Nikki looked directly at Peyton. "You're not Jenny's mother."

"Yeah, well," Brooke interrupted. "For all I've heard, you're not her mom either."

Nikki laughed.

"Peyton, go get security."

"And claim what, that a mom wanted her baby?" Nikki smiled. Peyton stopped on tracks. She had no idea what to do.

"They don't know that, do they?" Brooke smiled widely for a second before her face turned into a frown. She soon had fake tears in her eyes and Peyton was actually worried about her for a second, until something happened. Brooke looked at people around and started yelling.

"HELP!" the whole shopping stopped to stare at them. "THIS WOMAN GOT MY BABY!!"

Nikki's eyes narrowed for a second, but then she laughed. Two guys from the security appeared and didn't let anyone leave.

"Is there a problem here?" one of them asked. Before anyone could even think of a reply, Brooke started talking.

"This crazy lady got my baby girl!" She was almost yelling, but there were actually sobs between her words. "Please, don't let her… get my baby! I don't know what's wrong with this crazy lady, I was just… walking… here with my Jenny and my friend and then she started to look at me and then… This crazy woman has been stalking me for three hours! I… She hit on me and I said no… and now… she… my baby…"

Peyton went along with the brunette and hugged her, giving her gently pats on her back.

"That's not true!" Nikki laughed. "I'm her mother!"

"WHAT?" Brooke sounded genuinely surprised.

"Ok, do any of you have any proof?" One of the guys asked. Nikki opened her mouth, but then closed it. She had nothing.

"I… I have a picture," Brooke let out a strangled sob. She opened her purse and found a small notebook. She opened it and Peyton saw several pictures of Brooke all around. Brooke passed about three photos and just then she got one. It was a picture of her, Peyton and Jenny at the school gym. They both wore their cheerleader uniform and they were kissing Jenny's both cheeks. "I'm a high school mom… but I still love my daughter. And this lady here… she… I got in here with my friend and my daughter! Someone must've seen us!"

By this time, there was a crowd forming around them. A small boy stepped forward and said:

"I saw you," he said. "I saw you two coming in here with the baby."

"Yeah, me too," a redhaired woman said.

"Well, then," the guys from security turned around to face Nikki. Her face was red, but Brooke couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. She finally handed Jenny to Brooke and she held the baby against her as if Jenny truly was her daughter. She kissed the top of the baby's head and started murmuring words on her ear.

"Now we're going to call the police and…"

"No need for that," Peyton jumped in. "No one got hurt, we're just going home. Right Brooke?"

"Yeah, right," Brooke nodded. The crowd started to drift away and the securities grabbed Nikki's arm to walk her out of the shopping. When they were all out of sight, Peyton did her best not to scream.

"Oh, my God, Brooke!!" Peyton laughed. "What the hell?"

"I know!" Brooke laughed.

"And the Oscar goes to…" Peyton pretended to be opening an envelope. She made a surprised face and looked up. "Nicole Kidman! Sorry, maybe next year."

"Shut up!" Brooke laughed and playfully pushed Peyton. They both giggled. "So… that was Nikki."

"Yeah," Peyton started pushing the baby car, now empty, as Brooke followed her with Jenny safely wrapped around her arms. The little girl rested her head against Brooke's shoulder and her tiny hand occasionally rubbed gently against her neck. It felt good.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a crappy mother," Brooke smiled sadly at the little girl.

Brooke felt like crying for her, who was innocently unaware of all the emotional wounds she was going to gain after she realized all the other kids had a mom, except for her.

XOXOXOXO

Brooke didn't know where to go or what to do. She didn't even know what she wanted. Did she really want to keep that baby? She really couldn't even think of abortion… Brooke knew she wasn't a good person; she got that. But she also knew that she would never be able to live with herself knowing she had taken a life away. And not any life, the life of her own child.

But adoption was still an option.

"Well, if it isn't Brooke Davis herself," Brooke turned around and smiled when she saw her brunette friend, Nathan Scott. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

Brooke was sitting on the bleachers of the school gym. She had been sitting there for forty minutes now; Peyton had to leave after cheer practice to take care of Jenny while Jake worked.

But it was fine by Brooke; she needed some alone time.

"Just thinking," she said. Nathan tried to hide a grin. "What, I do think sometimes, okay?"

"Oh, yeah?" Nathan teased. "Just kidding. What's on your mind?"

"Well," Brooke looked up. "Everybody's gonna find out soon, so why don't I just tell you? I'm pregnant."

Nathan's eyes narrowed and his mouth opened, but no sound came out of it. Brooke could almost laugh at people's reaction by now… It was pretty much getting old. Now it was the time when Nathan would ask if it was really Lucas, just like everyone else had asked.

"What are you and Lucas going to do?" Or not.

"You know it's Lucas'," she kinked one eyebrow.

"Well…" Nathan kinked one eyebrow as well. "Yeah. I mean, I've seen you two together. I've seen the look on your face."

Brooke looked at Nathan for one minute. She didn't know him. Nathan Scott was a big mystery. He was this really sweet boy when they were little, but then they grew up and Nathan turned into a jerk. Not that she could say anything, because she turned into a high school slut. But now… Nathan looked exactly like that little boy who once told her her hair was pretty when all the other boys were disgusted by girls.

"You're a really good guy, Nathan," Brooke smiled at him. "I'm sorry Haley was the only one who could see that for a while. But I can see that now… You're a decent guy. And Haley's lucky to have you."

Nathan was a little taken aback by Brooke's sudden sweet words, but still managed to show her an honest smile.

"We got married."

"Sorry?"

"Haley and I," he smiled. "We got married."

"WHAT?" Brooke jumped to her feet. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah…" Nathan chuckled. "I know what you're gonna say… we're too young, blah-blah-blah-yadda-yadda-yadda… But I really love her, Brooke. And she's exactly what I need."

"Who'd have imagined High School could bring so much drama into our lives?" Brooke smiled. "If you're sure this is right, Nate, then I'll support you. Congratulations, Nathan. You deserve to be happy."

Brooke threw her arms around Nathan's neck and had to stay on the tip of her toes to rest her chin on the boy's shoulder.

"You're a really great person too, Brooke," he said. "And I'm sorry you can't see that… You can't see that yet, but you can do this, Brooke. You and Lucas can do this."

Brooke held onto him a little tighter as she tried to fight back the tears.

Nathan was wrong. She couldn't do this.

She let the tears fall freely from her face.

XOXOXOXO

Lucas put his hands on his waist, trying to catch his breath. Ever since the accident, his shoulder wasn't the same. They lost the first game of the playoffs; Coach Durham had to have an eye surgery and Dan decided to coach the team – without Whitey's consent, for sure.

Lucas had it. The ball was on his hands and there were only a second left to make a three points basket. And he missed it. Because his shoulder hurt.

Basketball had always been a lot more than a game to Lucas. Whenever he felt sad, or angry, or plain bored, basketball was the answer. When he played basketball, it didn't matter who he was in love with, or if he was going to be a dad soon, or if his dad didn't want him. It was like finally being able to breathe.

"Lucas," a voice called him.

"Oh, hey, Brooke. What's up?"

"I need you to sign this," she handed him a few papers and a pen.

"Uh…" Lucas looked at it for a moment, but then looked back at Brooke, not understanding what was going on. "What is this?"

"The adoption papers."

A/N: So… we've come to a point of the fanfic where, on the show, Lucas was supposed to be moving with Keith. So I'll probably write about Dan's heart attack on the next chapter or the one after that; I'm not sure yet. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and… well, that's it :) reviews are appreciated.

Btw, I didn't check this chapter, so there are probably some grammar mistakes. While I write this, I could be checking the chapter, but I don't feel like it. I guess you'll just have to deal with it! :D buh-bye.


	5. When We Can't Find Ourselves

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter V

When We Can't Find Ourselves

"The what?" Lucas tried to catch his breath while he waited for Brooke's answer.

"Adoption papers," she repeated. "You said that if I wasn't ready, then I wasn't ready. That if I was ready, that you'd help me. Well, I'm not ready."

"But…" Lucas tried to find an answer to that, but she was right: he had promised her she could do whatever she wanted. She handed him the papers and looked down

"Take your time," she said.

"I thought you had made up your mind," he said. "I thought we were going to… keep the baby."

"My mom is right," she said. "I'm not ready. I already love this baby… that's why I don't want it to have a messed up childhood, like mine. I want this baby to have more than I did, so… I'm giving it up. But I need your signature. Just… take your time."

With that, Brooke walked away. That night, Brooke went straight to Peyton's house and cried on her shoulder until she fell asleep.

Lucas felt like he should be relieved: he didn't need to be a teen dad anymore.

Then why did he feel so confused?

XOXOXOXO

Haley has always been the perfect kid. She always got straight A's, and, when she didn't – which only happened once or twice – everyone still smiled at her and said it was ok, because she was a good kid.

Always the good kid.

It wasn't like Haley had planned on being the good kid; she just was. School was something she was good at, and was also the only way she found of feeling superior to all her sisters. When she was a kid and school wasn't a popularity contest, some kids screamed and broke things to get their parent's attention… But not Haley.

Haley always behaved perfectly. Her parents were always busy trying to control the other screaming kids, but, when they finally did, they looked at Haley and smiled. Every day, Haley would sit down and start to draw or play with her toys… and then, when her parents finally got the time to pay attention to her, they always showed her _that_ smile. The smile that made everything worth it. The smile that made all the endless hours of being ignored completely worth it.

And then Haley met Lucas.

Lucas was the sweetest boy she had ever met. He never did boy stuff in front of her – like farting or burping. He always helped her when she fell on the ground and he even tried not to laugh at her. They they were brother and sister.

Then they grew up. It was them against the world. Only the two of them together against everything and everyone else. They lived in a bubble where nothing and no one could break into. She had his back and he had hers.

Everything started to fall apart when Lucas broke the bubble. Lucas joined the Raven's basketball team, and, with that, he got out of the bubble and started to face all that had always haunted him: his father and his half brother.

Haley didn't know them, but she hated them. She hated Dan for abandoning a wonderful boy like Lucas and she hated Nathan for hating Lucas when he had no right to. When she met Nathan, she had no idea she would eventually fall in love with him.

Nathan had a different side no one else knew and for some reason, he chose her to be the one to see that side of him. She found herself in love with Nathan before she could even tell Lucas she was tutoring him.

And then… well, they got married.

Haley got married.

Haley and Nathan got married.

Haley and Nathan got married at the age of seventeen.

And it felt right.

"I've heard of teenagers wanting to be adults, but this is just too much," Nathan's voice brought her back to Earth. "We got married and Brooke and Lucas are having a baby. And we're not even seniors yet!"

Haley laughed and cuddled with Nathan. She felt butterflies in her stomach and warmth in her cheeks. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Nathan broke the silence:

"Do you regret it?" He asked.

"What?" Haley rested her chin on his chest in order to look at him in the eyes. "Getting married?"

"Yeah."

"Weirdly," Haley smiled. "Not even a little bit."

"Me too," Nathan smiled. They began to move their heads towards each other, but were interrupted by a ringing noise. "Ugh… I thought I had turned that thing off."

"Maybe it's something important," Haley tried to be reasonable, even though she was just as frustrated as him.

"Maybe it isn't." Nathan whispered in her ear. Haley closed her eyes as a shiver ran down her spine. Her cheeks burned.

"Maybe it isn't…" She repeated, eyes closed. She felt Nathan's breath on her mouth and nose, and she could almost feel his lips on hers. But then it was gone. She opened her eyes and saw Nathan's signature smirk. He got the cell phone and pressed the green button.

Haley's jaw dropped.

"Nobody likes a tease, Nathan!" She playfully punched his chest and he laughed.

"Hey, mom," he said to the phone. His smile suddenly disappeared and Haley began to get worried. She mouthed 'what's wrong?', but Nathan either didn't notice or ignored, because he didn't answer. "Mom, calm down... Where are you? … Yeah, I know. I'll be right over."

He hung up and took a deep breath. His mouth was slightly open as he sat down.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" Haley was worried. "Something wrong with your mom?"

"It's my dad," he said. He looked up at her. "He had a heart-attack."

XOXOXOXO

When Brooke thought of Lucas, the first thing that came to her mind was kindness. Even now, after he had done a terrible thing to her, when she thought of his bright blue eyes, the first thing she saw was kindness.

Lucas Scott was the first person to see something more in her.

Since Brooke was old enough, all she did was partying. She didn't care when or who with, she just did it. She went to parties and got drunk and made out with random guys. She didn't know why she did it; she just did.

Maybe because of that, Brooke was seen as only that. She was the girl who got drunk and hooked up with random guys. Nobody wanted to date her. She was seen as worthless and they finally convinced her.

She felt worthless.

When Lucas came along, she thought of him as this really hot new guy who had something more. There was something about him that she hadn't yet quite figured out, but he was different. She hit on him and he only ignored her. She knew he only saw her as everyone else did; a party girl. But at least he was nice enough to pretend otherwise.

Then everything changed when Lucas got to know the real Brooke. During one of the many Nathan and Peyton's fights, Brooke decided to cheer her friend up and bring her to a college party. But things got a little out of hand and some random guy tried to rape Peyton after drugging her. Brooke didn't know who to call, so she called Lucas.

When Lucas saw the worry Brooke showed towards Peyton, he finally saw what was there all the time. The real Brooke Davis.

After that, it was only a matter of time before they finally started dating. Brooke never knew why Lucas did it, she never knew if he was ever in love with her, but they started dating. When they spent time together just talking – which was unusual – Brooke felt inferior to him. Lucas was this great guy who read classic books for pure pleasure and did well in all subjects, but what really made her feel inferior to him was the way he expressed himself. He talked passionately about sports and books and music, and even though she wasn't into any of this stuff, she felt as if she could spend days and days listening to him talking about what made him happy.

And now, knowing she was pregnant with Lucas' baby, all she could think about was how amazing this baby was going to be and she couldn't even be a part of it.

She didn't really need Lucas' permission to give the baby; she could've just claim she didn't know who the father was. Plus, both she and Lucas were minor, so she only really needed her parents' permission, which she knew they would gladly give.

But deep inside her heart, all Brooke really wanted was to watch that baby growing up and to be a part of its life. She wanted to give it its first bath and breastfeed it. She wanted to teach it how to speak and walk and ride a bike. She wanted to keep all of its drawings in a big box and hang all the A's on the fridge. If it was a girl, she wanted to talk about guys at school and giggle with her. If it was a boy, she wanted to teach him he should value all the girls, even those who don't seem to deserve it.

She wanted it all. Because she already loved this baby.

But also because she already loved this baby, she wanted to give it the best, and the best definitely wasn't her. She wanted this baby to grow up in a loving home like Lucas did. She wanted it to have a mom who would be able to give it the best toys and cook the best Christmas turkey. She wanted this baby to have a mom who could really take care of him or her. She didn't want this baby to be watched by someone else as his or her mom studied.

She really just wanted it to be happy… And she was going to make it happen, even if it cost her own happiness.

And Lucas'.

XOXOXOXO

Keith Scott had always been superior to his brother.

Even when they were kids, everyone loved Dan so much more than Keith, and that only made Keith a better person, because all the attention Dan got was nothing compared to the pressure their dad put on him. But even before that, Keith had always been kind and gentle. He had the best grades in school and if he had gone to college, he could've studied whatever he wanted.

But he didn't.

Neither Keith nor Dan had enough money to study in a good college. Keith tried to play some sport to try a scholarship, but he wasn't good enough. Dan, on the other hand, was. Dan always had all eyes on him. In every single game, Dan was the best player.

So Keith started working with the guy who fixed their dad's car. Staying at home was unbearable; his dad kept on throwing on his face the fact that Dan was going to study and Keith was going to be nothing more than a mechanic. So Keith started to spend all his free time working and learning. It didn't take long before Keith knew everything about cars. He soon had enough money to live on his own, so he did so. He couldn't stand his house anymore.

Dan secretly envied him, but never could admit. Keith had broken free and he was still trapped on his dad's strings.

When Dan got Karen pregnant and abandoned her, Keith saw his chance to finally approach the girl – not in a romantically way, but friendly. Keith had been in love with Karen ever since they first met, but he understood the fact that she had eyes only for his brother. Well, he didn't really understand, but he accepted it. In fact, he even liked it. He thought that she made him a better person.

But she didn't.

Dan abandoned Karen pregnant with his child, all alone. So Keith decided to help her. He asked her to move in with him, so he could help her during her pregnancy and after the baby arrived. She hesitated at first, but after a few weeks she finally accepted. Keith never dared to ask her what made her change her mind.

For nine months, Keith took care of Karen's health and Karen took care of Keith's apartment. They were exactly the way she was supposed to be with Dan. Keith was caring and loving and he treated the baby as if it was his. After a few months, even Karen forgot the baby wasn't his.

So she decided she had to get her own place.

That was her way to tell him she wanted them to be only friends, and as much as it hurt him, Keith understood and accepted that once again. It didn't make him love Lucas any less.

When Karen dumped him for the millionth time, Keith was so hurt that he ended up doing something stupid. He slept with Deb, Dan's wife. He was hurting and drunk and Deb was hot. A horrible combination.

He always thought that the day he finally could hurt Dan, he would feel awesome. But being the good guy he was, he felt remorse. Even though Dan didn't blink before hurting Keith feelings, he still loved his brother.

And now he could die.

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice said behind him. Keith turned around and his lips curved up a little.

"Hey, Luke," he sighed and patted the spot next to him. Lucas sat down.

"Did you see him?" he asked.

"Yeah," Keith looked away. "He was… remorseful. And guilty."

"I'm sorry," Lucas raised his eyebrows. "Are we talking about the same person? Dan Scott? My father? Biggest jerk on the planet?"

"I know," Keith chuckled. "But he was actually… remorseful. Or at least faking it really well."

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes.

"He asked me to take care of the dealership for him."

Lucas opened his mouth, but decided not to say whatever was on his mind. So he took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.

"What about Charleston?"

"What about my brother?"

"What about your feelings?"

It was Keith's turn to open his mouth and close it after a second thought. He really wanted to start over, forget Karen.

But the guilt for hurting Dan was too big on his heart. The hope that maybe Dan could change was small, but it was big enough to make him think it was possible. To make him hope and wish.

"My heart tells me to take care of my brother."

XOXOXOXO

Keith's words echoed on Lucas ears the whole day. "My heart tells me to take care of my brother."

It amazed Lucas how Keith always had his heart on the right place. He always knew the right thing to do; he was kind and gentle, yet firm when necessary. He was the perfect dad.

The perfect dad.

Lucas thought of Dan and how he was mad to see himself in the same situation Dan went through when he was younger. A pregnant girlfriend.

Since Lucas found out Brooke was pregnant, he never thought of abandoning the child. Not even for a second, actually. He thought of many things; like adoption and keeping it, but never of abandoning Brooke.

It felt good to know he was a better person than Dan, but now, after finding out Brooke wanted to give their kid to adoption, he felt dirty and guilty for being kind of relieved.

That was why, right now, he stood in front of Brooke's red door.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to update… Writer's block. That's why this chapter pretty much sucked, but I really wanted to show more of the other characters, so I decided to explain a little of Haley and Keith. Well, I showed Keith mostly because I really miss him, but also because I won't show much of him working on the dealership and how he meets Jules and blah-blah-blah… So I just wanted to explain he's working on the dealership now, just in case someone forgot about that part of the serie.

A/N2: You know, I'm really considering that adoption thing… That's freaking me out, 'cause I can't see how I'll finish the story. Well, I guess I'll just think of that in the future. I'll just live the moment for now.

A/N3: Yes, there are grammar mistakes on this chapter. No, I did not check it after I finished writing it.


	6. When There's a Thin Line Between

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter VI

When There's a Thin Line Between Right and Wrong

_Two Months Later…_

As Lucas stared at the ceiling, lying in bed, he thought of his life. He thought of all the possibilities, all the could have beens, all the what ifs… All his regrets.

Brooke Davis, the most beautiful girl he knew, was pregnant with his baby. He could be a daddy, a real father. They could raise this child and it would bring light to their lives. They could watch it learning how to walk, ride a bike, read, write… They could help it through the tough times and smile with it through the good ones. They could watch it graduating from High School and college and getting married and they could be grandparents.

He wanted all that. More importantly, he wanted all that with Brooke.

But he had been stupid. He accepted as Brooke cried her way into his mind and made him believe that adoption was the best option. She made him feel sympathy as she cried on his chest and made him forget his opinion should count, no matter how young they were.

He sighed and rolled on his bed. A stupidly big bed, if you asked him. To top it all, now he was living with his father, Dan Scott.

After his heart-attack, Dan began to act suspiciously nice. He tried to mend his relationship with Deb and Lucas… Unfortunately, Deb fell for that. But Lucas wasn't that naïve. He knew Dan had something up his sleeve. And he was going to find out.

The doctors that took care of Dan after his heart-attack told him he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – aka HCM –, a genetic heart condition that makes the myocardium thicker. And it made it impossible for the person to practice sports like a normal person.

And there was a 50/50 chance that he and Nathan had it.

Basketball had always been more than just a sport to Lucas. It was what he loved to do, what he was good at. He had a gift and he played like no one else did. It was his special escape.

After he joined the Ravens, everything changed. His life turned upside down. Suddenly his best friend married his half brother who he used to hate, but now actually even liked. Suddenly he was dating the most popular and beautiful girl of the whole school. Suddenly he was cheating on her with Peyton Sawyer.

Suddenly his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his child.

And suddenly he found himself falling in love with his ex-girlfriend.

And, to make matters worse, he had just found out he indeed had HCM and lied to everyone, saying he didn't.

Lucas was never the perfect guy, even though everyone always put him on a pedestal. He was the sweetest guy a girl could ask for, but he was also always trying to be nice to everyone else and never knew what he did wrong until someone actually told him. It also took him a long time to realize his feelings, but once he did, he was completely sure of them.

Those two months in which Brooke was gone, Lucas realized he wanted her. But it was too late, because she was gone. And so was his baby.

His baby… In those two months, Lucas thought a lot of their baby, too. He thought of how much trouble they would go through because of this baby and how much they would have to work to pay for everything. But that didn't really matter, because all those troubles would be worth it as long as their baby was with them.

The night before Brooke left, Lucas saw a side of Brooke he had never seen before: her insecurity.

_Flashback_

_Lucas took a deep breath and knocked on the red door before him. He only hoped Brooke's parents weren't home, because he knew they pretty much hated him. Although, even if they were indeed at home that didn't really matter, because they would never open the door._

_But the person to open the door wasn't any of Brooke's parents or maids. It was Brooke Davis herself. She was beautiful, with no make up on. He__r hair was up and she was wearing black large pants and a thigh baby blue shirt. She had no shoes on and for the first time he realized she had tiny feet, which was really cute. She looked all cute, staring at him with her big eyes and her eyebrows knitted together. Her eyes were in a mix of green and blue today. He lost count of the times they looked like that._

_"Luke," she didn't sound surprised at all. "Come on in."_

_So he did as he was told and stepped into the house. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and followed her to the same room he had met her parents a few days before. Now he could see the room was actually pretty cozy._

_"It's cozy here without all the hostility, uh?" She offered him a small smile, which he tried to response, but his face was paralyzed. He couldn't change the expression of confuse and hurt tha__t seemed to take over his face._

_They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, in which he stared fixedly at her belly, before Lucas finally broke it._

_"Can I…" he hesitated. "Can I touch it?"_

_"My belly?" Brooke sounded surprised now. He nodded. "It's only __7 weeks, you can't feel anything yet."_

_"Oh," Lucas didn't know why he asked her that in the first place and now he felt really stupid and embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"_

_"It's ok," she cut him off. "Really. I must admit I've tried to feel it a couple of times, too."_

_The truth was, it wasn't just a couple of times. Brooke tried to feel the baby everyday, all the time. She tried to feel something; anything. A sign from the baby that said she was doing the wrong thing, that she should keep it… But it never came. The baby never did anything. She really wasn't stupid; she knew babies with only 7 weeks didn't move at all, but all she was asking for was a sign…_

_"Why?" Lucas blurted out. Brooke noticed his shoulders __fell a little after he finally said that. For the first time since he entered her house, Lucas relaxed. He didn't need to explain why what. Both he and Brooke knew what he meant. And the answer was floating above their heads. They both knew it, too._

_"Lucas…" Brooke sighed and sat down on the couch.__ "You know it's for the best."_

_"What if it isn't?" He asked. "What if the people they give our baby to are like crazy or something?"_

_"I'll get to choose them myself," she said._

_"But…" Lucas felt a deep pain on his heart and let out a cry. "We can do this, Brooke."_

_"No, we can't!" Brooke got up. "We can't, Lucas! It's too much! I want this baby to have a perfect life and family! I want this baby to have everything I didn't have, and I won't be able to do that. I don't want it to have a messed up family like everyone else."_

_The tears were falling freely from her face and Lucas had never seen her cry like that. Not even when she found out he had cheated on her. Not even when he woke up from the accident._

_Lucas felt an amazing urge to walk to her fragile body and protect her from everything by holding her forever. He wanted to wrap his arms around her tiny frame and never let her go. Never let _them_ go._

_"Please, Luke," she said. "Let it go. It was never ours, to begin with."_

_Lucas didn't know what she was talking about. He only knew he wanted to save her from whatever was hurting her, so he stepped closer to her. He didn't even need to give a second step forward; Brooke practically jumped towards him and buried her face on his chest, holding onto him for dear life. The impact of Brooke's body against his chest made him budge a little, but he never let go of her. He sat down on the couch behind them and held her until they both fell asleep._

_The morning after, Brooke was gone._

_A week later, so was all her furniture._

_Two days later, a new family moved in… And he found a note by his porch. He could see the words with Brooke's calligraphy on the small piece of the brown bread paper._

_"I am sorry."_

_End of Flashback._

Lucas wondered if she really was.

XOXOXOXO

Also lying in bed, Brooke opened her eyes.

It had been two months since she last saw Lucas and Peyton. Two months since she first entered her new house on California.

A lot changed since she left Tree Hill. Brooke was a spoiled kid and she knew it… She actually didn't really care; she always got what she wanted when she wanted. When she met Lucas, she felt like changing. She wanted to be a better person in order to be good enough for him. He made her feel insecure, which was something no other guy could ever do.

She always said to everyone she was who she was, no excuses. Lucas was the first person who ever made her question that. She tried to change for him. Damn, she even read a book because of him! But Lucas said he liked her just the way she was, different from him…

Then why did he cheat on her with a person who was exactly her opposite?

So, when she moved to California with her parents, she decided she wanted to change. She wanted to change for herself. She wanted to be good for herself, no one else.

The perfect opportunity to change came when she learned that the company her dad worked for was about to close. Things were pretty bad for them and they would probably break in a few months. Her dad actually got a really good job offer on California, but it would take at least a couple of months before they got back to the lifestyle they were used to. They had a lot of money from selling their house, their beach house and all the furniture, which was enough to hire a maid and live on a pretty good place.

To start her new life, Brooke decided to learn how to clean. She actually gave up a couple of times while doing it, but after a few more classes from the new maid – Helena –, she finally learned.

The second thing she tried to learn was how to cook. She pretty much sucked at it before Helena, so she thought it would be really just a waste of time trying to learn it. However, Helena was a better teacher than Brooke thought she could be, so after those two months Brooke could cook a few things, like rice, beans, almost all kinds of fish, some deserts and two kinds of soup. After learning the basics, Brooke was sure she could now start to learn new recipes by herself if she wanted to. Of course her food wasn't as good as Helena's and she burned things often, but she was still working on it.

Brooke's baby was now almost four months long. Her pants were starting to need a little fix here and there, so that was something else she was trying to learn; sew. From all the things she learned, sewing was the easiest. She actually started to enjoy sewing, so she tried to learn something new about it everyday.

After reading all this, one would think Brooke was over Lucas. But learning new stuff was actually Brooke's way of getting away from the memories and the pain they brought her. She wondered if Lucas would be that hard to get over if she didn't have to carry the proof of their short romance under her shirt everyday. She wondered if Lucas had forgotten her; if he had moved on.

Brooke tried to remember her life before Lucas and it seemed light years away, when it had been only seven months since she entered in his car wearing almost no clothes. She didn't know how she felt when she said she changed after she met him. She didn't want to admit that this guy who cheated on her had that effect on her life, but she was proud to say she was a better person. She was still impatient and a little hyperactive, but those were some of the things that made her, her. But now she was a lot less self-centered and a lot more aware of everyone else's feelings.

There was a time – long before Lucas – that it was only Brooke and Peyton; right after the latter's mom's death. Brooke was the perfect friend. She slept on the girl's bed and held her tight when she cried. She didn't ask the girl to talk, because she knew it would only make her suffer even more. She brought her breakfast in bed and brushed her hair after the showers that she forced the girl into. She helped Peyton step by step towards acceptance.

After that, the blonde admitted once or twice how admired she was by Brooke's actions during the tough time. It was then that they realized it was no use trying to change the fact that they were going to be friends forever.

Then they started to grow up.

Peyton started to collect old music albums and bought her first real drawing pencil. She sketched all the time and the only person allowed to see the final art was Brooke.

Brooke started to buy teen magazines with pop stars on the cover and bought her first real make up kit. She got her first period and gave her first kiss. She had a desperate need for attention, so she dreamed of becoming a cheerleader. She saw how everyone looked at them with admiration and envy.

But what Brooke really wanted was what she could never get; her parents' attention. She watched with envy and guilt Peyton interacting with her dad and wished she could have that. Even though the blond girl had lost her mom, Brooke would give anything to be her and to once have had a mom that even looked at her. She didn't resent Peyton for having what she wanted, but she certainly envied her.

As time went by, Brooke turned into a pathetic excuse of human being and so did Peyton. They didn't help each other like they used to. They still went out and talked, but it just wasn't the same. They were different people.

When Lucas came along, Brooke knew he had a thing for her friend. Lucas was the new guy on the basketball team, he was hot, he was rejected by his dad and everyone hated him. He had everything to be the bad guy of the story, so she thought she would just check if he was really one of those horny teenagers looking for trouble and meaningless sex. So she hit on him; she knew he didn't have a chance with Peyton.

One could only guess her surprise when he rejected her instantly.

Brooke became curious. Lucas was different from all the other guys. He drove her home when she appeared naked on his backseat. He did look at her with lust, which really was inevitable, but didn't dare to try anything. He acted as if she wasn't a slut; as if naked girls appeared naked on his backseat all the time.

She couldn't help the small but healthy obsession she had to figure out what Lucas Scott really was about. She teased him and hit on him, but he only had eyes for her friend. She knew Peyton had something for this guy, but she was with Nathan and they had been together for only God knows how long. She thought it was just a phase; an adventure.

So she decided to skip all the drama and get Lucas out of Peyton and Nathan's way already. When Lucas finally looked at her, she took her chance and started to hang out with him. Peyton said it was fine by her and even though she said her break up with Nathan was definite, she knew they would get back together.

She was wrong.

Nathan started dating Tutor Girl. But that isn't what really surprised Brooke at the time. It was the fact that she actually started to develop feelings for Lucas. Never before had she ever given a rat's ass about any guy… But Lucas was different. He was protective like big brother, a listener like a best friend and one hell of a lover. He surprised her all the time; he was new, fresh.

He cheated on her with Peyton.

What really felt weird was the fact that she could've loved Lucas. She was falling for him. She was going to fall in love pretty soon and if she had, then it would be a lot worse. She wouldn't be able to forgive Peyton; that was for sure.

Peyton… she missed her friend. She left without saying goodbye, but she still sent her a few e-mails and letters now and then. She never told her where she was living and neither did Peyton ask her.

When she left Tree Hill, it was double hard to Peyton. Not only was she losing her best friend, but also the guy she liked. Nikki, Jenny's mom, was still after Jake and threatening to steal the girl. So Jake left. He left Tree Hill with Brooke, and he now lived on her guest room. Brooke's parents certainly weren't glad about that, but Brooke made a deal with them. If they let Jake stay, then she'd give the baby away. Of course she was already going to give it to adoption anyway, but her parents didn't know that. So they accepted.

Living with Jake was… different. He was gentle and caring, yet there was nothing romantic going on between them. Brooke envied Peyton for liking such a nice guy and who actually cared about her just as much.

Brooke and Jake went to school together every morning and Helena took care of Jenny, while Brooke's parents did only God knew what. Since Helena had to cook, clean and take care of Jenny – which Brooke's parents didn't know she did –, Brooke and Jake helped her whenever they could. Jake found a job as a waiter in a restaurant and Brooke took care of Jenny while he was away. She soon fell in love with the girl, which was inevitable. She knew Jake had hope that by taking care of Jenny she would want to keep her baby, but she was already sure of what she wanted to do.

There were millions of people who wanted to adopt. Everyday Brooke looked at their files, but somehow none of the couples seemed to be good enough. She wanted everything to be perfect, so she was still choosing.

"Hmmm… this one here sounds pretty good. The guy owns his own little shop, which belongs to his family for years. That means stability and flexible time. The woman is the chef of a very famous restaurant, which means they still have her money in case anything goes wrong. What do you think?"

Brooke sat back and looked at the girl in front of her. She kinked one eyebrow, as if waiting for an answer.

"What?" Brooke finally asked. She then sighed, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "You're right. They're not good enough."

Brooke sighed and buried her face in her hands. She looked at the girl by her side and made a weird face.

"You know you've gone completely insane when you start to talk to babies," she said. The small girl giggled as she stared at Brooke's funny face, showing her first five teeth. Brooke giggled and grabbed the girl, holding her perfectly on her side.

"You like it when I make funny faces, don't you?" The girl giggled even more. "Don't you? Don't you?"

Brooke laughed with the girl and glued both their foreheads together as they danced around.

_"I love your funny face,"_ Brooke started to sing. _"Your sunny funny face! You're not exotic, but so hypnotic… You're much too much if you can cook the way you look."_

"Nice." Said a voice from behind them. Brooke turned around in surprise, looking as if she was a kid who had just been caught stealing candies from the jar right before dinner. "I get home and find you, lazy as always, playing Leslie Caron with this… girl."

Brooke noticed how her mother hesitated before saying "girl". She was sure she had lots of other names for Jake and Jenny, but was glad she hadn't listened to any of them yet.

"It's Audrey Hepburn, mom."

"Aren't they all the same?" Came the older woman's response. Brooke didn't want to argue with her in front of Jenny, so she kept her mouth shut. Jake should arrive any time soon, which meant her mom would disappear for a while; she simply couldn't stand the boy.

Since Brooke said nothing, her mom left with a cold stare. Brooke had officially ruined her life, she knew that. It had been a long time since Brooke found out she was a burden to her parents… Now she knew she wasn't just a burden; she had ruined their lives. But she really didn't care anymore.

Or at least she said so.

"Audrey was a lot nicer, now, wasn't she?" Brooke stared sadly at the girl in her arms who no longer giggled. Instead, she peacefully rested her head on Brooke's shoulder as her eyes fought the need to sleep. She moved her hand around, as if looking for something, until her little fingers finally rested on Brooke's mouth, touching it with curiosity. Brooke smiled. "I know, baby."

_"You fill the air with smiles…"_ Brooke continued to sing. _"For miles and miles and miles…"_

A/N: So… I know Brooke's parents only broke on season two and they only decide to move after Keith's wedding, buuuuut… I decided to do it a little earlier. It's not like her parents broke from one night to the other, so…

I hope you guys liked that I kept Jake and Jenny on the story, I just like them so much :) btw, this chapter was like a transition chapter. Things will happen a little fast during next chapters, so I just wanted to slow down a little.

So, whaddaya think? Will Brooke find the perfect family? Will she really give it away? Will she return to Tree Hill? Will Lucas try to find her?

Read and find out 8D


	7. When Your Hope Is Lost

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter VII

When Your Hope Is Lost

There were no memories of Peyton's childhood worth remembering that didn't involve Brooke. Ever since they were small kids, Brooke was invited to all family programs of Peyton's house. Almost all good memories of her mom involved Brooke, even if she was just on the background. The brunette was like a second daughter to her mom; she was took Brooke when they went out, no matter if it was to just eat ice cream or shopping.

The brunette always took care of her no matter what; Brooke always got her back. As they grew up, they drifted apart a little bit… Brooke even forgot the anniversary of her mother's death. She felt so betrayed, so mad… But then she realized this was her fault just as much as it was Brooke's.

Brooke always took care of her because Peyton was always the one who needed it. She always cried when she fell on the floor, while Brooke never let it show she was hurt. When her mom died, Peyton needed help more than ever, but, after that, there were many times when the brunette needed her help as well and she was just too blind to realize it. Brooke had this weird need to hide all her feelings, all her pain, and she was a good actress. It was easy to believe in Brooke's happiness; she always seemed honest about it. Not even Peyton, who had known her for her whole life, could read her.

For a moment, Peyton thought that maybe, just maybe, Lucas could read Brooke. But he couldn't, and she honestly couldn't blame him. Peyton couldn't help but wonder if Brooke would read her easily if she tried to hide her feelings as well.

The answer really was easy, coming to think of it. Peyton wasn't a good actress like Brooke. Never would she be able to hide her pain as well as Brooke did. Once again, Peyton couldn't help but wonder… She wondered if Brooke would still be this way if her parents paid any attention to her. She wondered if Lucas hid his feelings too, and she just wasn't able to see it. She wondered if she was being selfish by showing her pain that openly.

She wondered if anyone other than Brooke actually cared about it.

Thinking of Lucas, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone other than herself actually cared about Brooke's pain, too.

XOXOXOXO

"You know, there's something amazingly sweet, yet creepy about the way you talk to Jenny," Jake said. He and Brooke were sitting on a small café, while Jenny gladly rested on Brooke's lap. "Like you actually believed she can understand you or something."

"She can." Brooke sounded genuinely skeptical. And she really was. She knew Jenny couldn't quite understand her words – at least not all of them –, but she knew the girl understood her tone and actually knew Brooke genuinely loved her. "You can understand me, can't you, sweety?"

Brooke used her baby voice and Jake had to press his lips together in order not to laugh. He loved to watch Brooke interacting with Jenny; it was like she was six, not sixteen. It actually reminded him of Peyton and how independent and grownup she looked like, when actually she was just like Brooke. She acted like she was a little girl and made a baby voice and talked to Jenny as if she could understand every single word she said.

God, he missed Peyton.

He told her he was going to Seattle and that she wouldn't see him for a while, but he lied about the first part. He bought a ticket to Seattle and made sure Nikki saw it, pretending he didn't know she was watching him, but actually went to California with Brooke. He felt guilty for lying to Peyton, but he really had no choice… He made Brooke promise she wouldn't tell her anything, and she promised so. He trusted her, as weird as it sounded.

"Have you talked to Peyton recently?" He asked, trying to look nonchalant.

"Yeah," she answered; her eyes never leaving Jenny's face. Her smile, however, no longer could be seen on her lips. "She tries to be cheerful on her e-mails, but I've seen her face on her webcam. Of course she doesn't know I was looking, but I saw her… And she was just so… You know?"

Jake did.

"She's just… alone." Brooke finished. Her eyes finally left Jenny's face, as if she didn't want the girl to see her on that state. "Nathan and Haley have their problems and Lucas… well, I don't know about him. But I don't think he's… I just…"

Brooke trailed off.

"I know," Jake interrupted. "I know."

They stayed in silence for a couple more minutes after that, in which Brooke played with Jenny and whispered words to her as if telling her a secret. A wave of nostalgia hit his chest full force and suddenly he wished he was back at Tree Hill, in his parent's house, helping his dad to fix the old car he bought six months ago and stealing food from the pans while his mom hit his hand playfully. He missed the weekends when he went to the park with his parents and Jenny. He missed being stopped on the streets by old ladies who made cute faces and voices to his little girl. He missed showing Jenny his world, the only thing he would ever be able to give her.

"Don't do it," the words left his throat before Jake could even think of shutting his mouth. He and Brooke had had many discussions about that same issue and it never ended well. He didn't want to fight with Brooke in front of Jenny and the whole café.

"Don't do what?" She asked confused.

"I…" Jake put all the facts on a scale, trying to discover whether it was worth trying again or not. "Don't give your baby away, Brooke."

"Jake," Brooke sighed, tired. "We've talked about this."

"No, we haven't." He insisted. "I talked. You just made up some lame excuse. Seriously, Brooke, why don't you keep it? Do you not like it?"

"Don't," Brooke sounded serious and, as if Jenny knew what as going on, the baby shut her mouth up immediately, listening intently to the teenagers' conversation. "Don't you dare asking me that. You know damn well the answer, Jake."

"Yeah, I do," he said. "But you really make me wonder if it's really true what you show and say; that you love this baby. Because you seem to be really anxious to get rid of it."

"Really, Jake?" Came Brooke's dry answer. "You _honestly_ think I want to get rid of my _own_ baby?"

"What the hell am I supposed to assume when you act all–"

"You're not supposed to assume – at all!" Brooke cut him off, her voice one tone higher. "You're not supposed to do anything, really. It's _my_ life."

"Of course I am supposed to assume, Brooke!" Jake's voice raised as well, but not enough so people would start staring. The people around them talked just as loud as they did, so they really weren't bringing attention to themselves. Jenny, however, had eyes only to them. "I am your freaking friend, Brooke, I _am_ supposed to care about you, damn it!"

Brooke opened her voice to answer, but she gave it a second thought. Jake was right, he wasn't being snoopy, he cared about her. She was unfair to him, but that didn't mean she didn't feel a little exposed.

"I know," she finally said. Different from moments before, her voice was soft. "I just wish people would stop telling me to keep it. You know I can't."

"No, I don't," he said. "_Why_ do you _need_ to give it away? Really, it's beyond my imagination."

"Because," Brooke sighed heavily. She was tired of giving everyone the same explanation over and over again. The more she said it, the less she believed in it. "I want this baby to have a nice family. I want it to have good parents who can take care of it. I don't want it to have a messed up family like everyone else does."

"Oh, bull." Jake laughed dryly. "Did you listen to yourself? You don't even believe in it."

"I do."

"No, you don't," Jake continued. "You don't believe in it. You're scared. I don't know of what, but you are."

"Jake," Brooke had _the_ voice. The voice that made alarms shoot on his mind. The voice she made when she was hurt. "Just drop it."

"No, Brooke!"

"Why?" She interrupted. "Why do you have this need to keep bothering me when I find freaking five godamn minutes to forget all this? Why?"

"Because I care!" He did his best to keep his voice low, but it really wasn't much use. They still didn't bring much attention to themselves, but she knew the people on the table beside them and behind them were trying to listen.

"But it doesn't work!" She practically yelled. Some people stared at them for a second before returning to their conversations, while others simply stared. "I'm not going to change my mind, Jake."

"Maybe," he said. His voice was a lot calmer right now. It was soft and maybe even a little sad. Kinda like milk with honey. "But I'll keep trying. Because one of these days you'll realize it's the wrong thing… And it'll be too late."

"What if it _is_ the right thing to do?"

"It's not!"

"You don't know that," the voice was more powerful now. He knew she was holding back the tears right now and it really surprised him that she was capable of keeping them inside of her for so long.

"I do…" his expression softened again. "I do, Brooke. You don't realize, but I've come to know you a lot in those months we spent together at your house. I've seen you with Jenny… You were born to do it, Brooke. You love Jenny for who she is and you look at her as if she was the most fascinating thing you have ever seen. Sometimes when you look at her is like someone who's seeing something holy, a miracle or something. Your eyes sparkle and you touch her as if you're scared you're gonna hurt her. You look at her like I do."

There they were. The tears she put so much effort to hold back started to fall freely from her eyes the moment he said everything that was on his heart; all his admiration towards her and her love for his daughter.

"One day someone will tell you you did the wrong thing and then for some reason you won't know, this voice will be capable of showing you the truth of these words."

Brooke said nothing. She just cried silently as Jenny watched her closely from her lap. The brunette put her hands around the little girl, and what was supposed to be a gesture of protection towards the child became a gesture of unconscious need of protection.

XOXOXOXO

That day when they got home, Brooke went to her room and locked the door.

"Brooke, are you there?" a soft voice came from outside. Brooke, who was lying down, immediately opened her eyes in shock.

"I must be dreaming…" she closed her eyes again and sighed.

"Brooke, I'm talking to you," came the voice again. Brooke knitted her eyebrows together and opened her eyes again. She walked towards the door and glued her left eat to it. She could only be dreaming. "Open the door."

Brooke thought she was crazy. The voice was soft; a tone she had never heard from that voice before. But it sounded so real… and still, a little surreal. Almost like a dream, really.

"Mom?" Brooke dared to ask. Her voice was really low, so nobody could listen unless they were really close to the door. That way, if she was just crazy, nobody would know so. "Is that you?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Come on in," Brooke invited after she unlocked the door. She felt stupid for saying that, since she would come in anyway whether she invited her or not. It was her house, afterall.

Brooke walked back to her bed, but this time she just sat on it. Her mother mimicked her, but sat on the chair in front of the computer instead. It was the very first time she listened to that tone attached to her mother's voice. At least the first time she could remember. The soft tone sometimes brought bad news, but sometimes it meant sympathy. She didn't like that tone at all.

"Brooke, I have some news…" She hesitated. "I don't consider you will take them well."

Different from Brooke, her mother remembered very well the last time she had spoken to her daughter on that soft tone.

XOXOXOXO

_A moan of pain escaped the woman's thin lips as she looked at the girl before her, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Except she wasn't. The girl's chest wasn't moving. Wasn't moving at all._

_She raised one trembling hand to __caress her chocolate brown hair, but stopped it midway. To caress her… Would it make things better, really? She decided it couldn't possibly make things worse, so she just did it._

_And she was wrong._

_The moment she touched the cold pale skin of her dead daughter, she realized that was it. Her little girl was gone forever and there was absolutely nothing she could do to reverse it. She would never again hear her laughter or whatever trivial thing happened to her. She would never get to listen to her point of view on polemic subjects when she got older. She would never again be surprised by the little girl's cleverness._

_She quickly removed her hand from the girl's skin and took one last good look at her face. Her chocolate brown hair that __rested gracefully on the bed. Her now closed eyes, which she remembered being a crazy mix of colors; sometimes green, sometimes hazel and sometimes even a little blue. She remembered how much she laughed the day she dreamed the girl had yellow eyes. Her lips were so pale… But she could remember them being actually a tone darker than everyone else's. Her ears were now naked, but she remembered the girl being really vain and always making her buy new earrings._

_When she realized she couldn't stand and look at the girl's face any longer without remembering every single detail of her, she walked away. And she didn't look back._

_"Mama?" a low voice called her. "What's going on?"_

_The woman's heart, which she thought was already broke, now was completely shattered on her chest.__ She turned her head to the side and saw the last person she wanted to see right now. But she couldn't ignore her, so she walked towards the girl who sat on one of the green uncomfortable chairs of the place._

_The girl she stared at was the perfect image of her dead girl, except younger.__ She walked towards her and kneeled in front of her. The girl had a bruise on her forehead and there was blood on the left sleeve of her shirt, which was ripped on the same place._

_"Brooke," the woman began. The air escaped her lungs and her lips suddenly were amazingly __dry, but she managed to find the strength to continue. Just looking at that girl in front of her broke her heart._

_"Brooke," she tried again. Her __voice was a little stronger now, yet soft. Brooke liked the soft tone, but felt it wouldn't be followed by good news. "Something happened."_

_"What is it, mama?"__ the girl put one small hand on top of the older woman's, which rested on Brooke's knee._

_"Your sister…" She hesitated, as if thinking of the right words to say.__ "She had to go."_

_"Where?" the little girl asked confused._

_"She…" the woman needed a second to regain her voice. "She went to heaven."_

_"Like nana?" the girl asked._

_"Like nana."_

_Deep in her heart, the woman knew that never again would she be able to look at this girl with the same eyes as before._

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry this chapter is a little smaller than the rest, but it's cause I'm moving to a new house tomorrow and I don't know how long I'll be without Internet access and I simply HATE cyber cafés and stuff like that. Good news is, I'll have plenty of time to write, since I'll be offline.

Sooo… I know last part of the chapter was a little soap opera, but I figured the fic needed a little more excitement. Plus, I just decided to add a little more family stuff to it, so I hope you guys liked it.

Now, what could those bad news be? Place your bets! :D


	8. When Fear Comes In The Way of Love

**/Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter VIII

When Fear Comes In The Way of Love

Amniocentesis.

Never would Brooke ever forget that name. It was attached to her mind. She could spell it backwards as she lied on the hospital bed. The doctors and nurses got in and out all the time, never really paying attention to her. Little did they know that Brooke's world as she knew was falling apart.

Two days ago her mother spoke to her on a very soft tone and let her know that the doctors thought there may have been something wrong with her baby. Turns out Brooke was right. That soft tone never brought any good.

The doctors found something odd on her exams and now there was a risk her baby had Down's syndrome. That meant her baby would have a life different from everything she imagined. As much as doctors tried to calm her down and explain that people with Down's syndrome could be just as normal as other people, which she already knew, that didn't calm her down. It wasn't about the baby's intelligence or normalcy she worried about, really, since it was perfect to her no matter what. What really worried Brooke was how other people would see her baby and if it would be able to live a happy life knowing some people didn't understand its difference.

She felt so lost…

"Mom," her voice was shaking. Since they got on the hospital for the amniocentesis, her mom never left her side.

Her dad was nowhere to be seen.

"What is it?" Her mom asked. She hadn't left Brooke's side, true, but she also hadn't said one word until that moment.

"I…" Brooke pressed her lips together to keep the tears from falling. "Call Peyton."

XOXOXOXO

Amniocentesis.

The very moment Brooke's mom called her, she googled it. It was a procedure in which the doctors took a little of the amniotic fluid to detect any genetic problem. They would try to detect Down's syndrome on Brooke's baby.

Down's syndrome.

Peyton didn't really know how she felt about that. Was she wrong to think that was a bad thing? Was it prejudice? Because, honestly, she wished that baby didn't have Down's syndrome. And she didn't feel bad for it.

Also on the Internet, Peyton found out that the chances of a baby of a young woman with less than 24 years old being with Down's syndrome were 1 in 1562.

One in freaking 1562.

XOXOXOXO

Amniocentesis.

Lucas didn't really know what that meant, and honestly didn't want to. But when Peyton knocked on his door with tears on her eyes muttering something about amniocentesis, he got really curious. Just when the blonde was able to calm down, she could explain to him what the heck she was talking about.

"Brooke's having an amniocentesis," she had said. "The doctors think your baby might have Down's syndrome."

It was the very first time anyone had called the baby his, not just "the baby" or "Brooke's baby". But Lucas only noticed that later, as he recalled Peyton's exact words to him. The moment she dropped the bomb on him, he didn't know what he felt. At first he was surprised, sure, but then… Was he supposed to be sad? Angry? Worried?

What Lucas really felt after a while was a crazy mix of relief and guilt. He felt relief because Brooke finally made contact – not to him, true, but still contact – and guilt because he was so worried about it that didn't even give much attention to the fact that his kid could have Down's syndrome. At least not the attention such an important subject deserved, anyway.

"It's okay to be relieved," Peyton said as if she could read his mind. They were on an airplane to California, where Brooke waited for Peyton and was clueless about the fact that Lucas was going too. "I am, too."

"I know." Lucas sighed. "It's just… I feel like I should be feeling something else. I just don't know what…"

"I know," Peyton sighed as well. "I know." She repeated as if she needed confirmation.

When Lucas and Peyton landed, they immediately saw Brooke's mom waiting for them. Well, actually waiting for Peyton, since she had no clue Lucas was coming. Her lips formed a thin line when she recognized the boy that got her daughter pregnant. Mrs. Davis wasn't willing to treat him well and Lucas wasn't expecting to be treated well, but, for some reason, she didn't say a word towards the blond boy. Perhaps she knew Lucas had the right to be there. Or perhaps she just didn't care at all.

"Brooke's at home," she started to walk and Peyton and Lucas had to run a little to catch up with her. "I'll take you there."

XOXOXOXO

When Brooke asked her mom to call Peyton, she knew she probably would regret later. She knew there was a chance that the girl would tell Lucas where she was – a big chance, actually, since the boy had the right to know. She knew all that. But she found herself in a very fragile state and couldn't handle the situation by herself. Sure, her mom was there… But it was different. She couldn't talk to her mom. Her mom didn't hug her; she didn't make jokes to lighten the mood. She could feel the woman wanted to do something, to be more supportive. But it was probably too late. Their relationship had come to a level where they felt uncomfortable around each other, even when they were both trying to act nicely.

With Peyton it was all different. Peyton could make her laugh while she cried and make her cry while she laughed. Peyton was her favorite person in the whole world and there was no one else she could imagine next to her as the doctors put a needle in her belly and collected some of the amniotic fluid. There was no one else she could imagine by her side as the doctors told her the results of her exams; results that could change her life forever.

"Brooke."

Brooke didn't know if it was because of her fragile state or the hormones from pregnancy, but on that very moment, she felt that never in her whole life had she felt more tranquil than when she heard the soft voice of her best friend breaking the silence of the big house.

"Hey, P. Sawyer," Brooke didn't even try to hold back the tears; she knew they'd fall anyway. Holding them would just give her a hell of a headache. Before she could even take a step towards Peyton, the blonde already had her arms around her neck and her head buried on her neck. The impact of the blond girl's body practically jumping on hers made Brooke give two steps backwards to regain balance, but that didn't really matter, because her best friend was there with her.

"I'm sorry," Peyton kept mumbling against her neck. The tears were falling freely from the blonde's eyes, and an unusual peace fell on Brooke's heart. "I'm sorry."

"For what, silly?" Brooke laughed. She was the one who was supposed to be crying like crazy, not Peyton. However, it felt incredibly nice to just let Peyton cry on her shoulder and caress her messy hair with one hand.

"Everything," she said. "For everything."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," Brooke laughed, still holding Peyton safely on her arms. "I'm the one who ran away without any warning or goodbyes."

"If you felt the need to run away, it's because" Peyton untangled herself from Brooke's embrace. "It's because I wasn't good enough of a friend."

Brooke's eyes narrowed.

"What? Peyton, that's so not true!" Brooke's eyes softened. "This had _nothing_ to do with you, do you hear me? You're my best friend; my P. Sawyer. You're my sister, Peyton. The sister I never had."

Brooke and Peyton hugged again, this time laughing at each other.

Which is why they didn't see Brooke's mom leaving the room quietly with a hurt expression after Brooke's last sentence.

"So, Lucas is here…" Peyton said carefully. She was scared Brooke would snap at her, but the brunette's reaction surprised her. She just nodded her head and looked away.

"Where?"

"A hotel," said Peyton. "We thought it would be weird if he showed just yet. He wanted to come, but I convinced him otherwise. I mean, I knew there would be like the freaking Nile of tears when we met and his presence would just make things weird."

Brooke simply nodded, still refusing to look at the blonde's eyes.

"But he will come." Peyton put one hand on Brooke's knee. "What you did… it was wrong, Brooke. But Lucas is only scared. He's only afraid for your baby."

"I know," Brooke finally did more than nod her head. "And that scares the living hell outta me."

Peyton shot Brooke a confused look.

"He's gonna be worried and kind and sweet… And I don't think I can handle Lucas being… Well, Lucas."

"I still don't understand," Peyton showed Brooke a playful smile. "You're afraid Lucas's not gonna be mad at you?"

"Exactly!" Brooke said as if she was teaching a small kid that 2 plus 2 was 4.

"Brooke."

"No," Brooke shot Peyton a warning glance. "Don't you Brooke me. You don't understand."

"Then explain it to me!" Peyton laughed.

"I'm afraid he's gonna convince me to keep the baby." Brooke finally said. She bit her lower lip and let her breath out, falling back down on the couch.

"Oh, Brooke," Peyton furrowed her eyebrows. "Honey, you're the only one who still thinks that adoption thing is a good idea. Except for your parents, but they're… well, your parents."

Brooke was used to have her parents referred to as bad ones by her blond friend, but it never really bothered her until now. Maybe it was something about the way Peyton said it or maybe it was the pregnancy speaking for her heart once again; but when Peyton referred to her parents as bad ones, something inside of her reeled.

"Well, maybe they're right, did you ever consider that?" Brooke snapped. Peyton was a little taken aback at first, but then she made a funny face.

"Sorry, I must have zoned out for a second. Did you just consider the possibility that your parents are right about something? And not just anything, but _parenting issues_?"

Brooke opened her mouth to respond her friend, but a voice interrupted her thoughts. And it wasn't Peyton's voice.

"Miss Davis?" It was Helena, the maid. "There's a boy here to see you. He said his name is Lucas."

The blonde turned to face Brooke and try to read her expression, but for the first time in years, Peyton didn't know what Brooke felt just by looking at her eyes.

"Please, B. Davis," Peyton clasped her hands together. "Don't run away. Give him a chance. He might just convince you to do what you want to do."

Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but the voice just didn't want to leave her throat.

"Say something, Brooke," Peyton begged. "Let him in."

XOXOXOXO

Victoria Davis hadn't always been the human-shaped ice she was now. It seemed light years away, but she still could remember a time when she was sweet and kind. A time when she believed in the good of people and in happiness.

She didn't anymore.

When her older daughter died, thirteen years before, a big part of her died, too. She knew it was wrong and cruel, but she let herself get suffocated in the tragedy and started to ignore her now only child. She couldn't stand looking at Brooke's eyes, so identical to the ones her older daughter had.

That night, thirteen years ago, she stopped believing in God, love, art, kindness.

For thirteen years, she was nothing more than a stranger to her own daughter, and, as much as it hurt for her to say this, she didn't care. She didn't care if Brooke missed her, if Brooke loved her, if Brooke wanted to be with her. She loved Brooke; she really did, but didn't care.

After her sister's death, Brooke became introverted. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she knew there was something wrong. Her parents didn't speak to her or to each other anymore. They didn't eat, they didn't look at each other's eyes, they didn't kiss. They didn't even put her to bed anymore.

All the pictured of her sister – even the one from her graduation, which they loved so much – were taken out of the walls. Her bedroom was locked and no one dared to get anywhere near it.

Victoria and her husband barely talked anymore, which was fine by her, but the fact that the man couldn't talk to Brooke too killed her. She didn't want to talk to Brooke – she couldn't even stand looking at her –, but that didn't mean she didn't care about the girl. She wanted – she needed – the girl to be happy, but she wanted it far away from her. She wanted the girl to have someone she could talk to; someone who could explain properly to her that her big sister was gone forever. Someone who could kiss her goodnight and say "I know, sweety" everytime she cried about being sad. Someone who could tell her that despite all that was happening; her mother still loved her very much. Victoria knew she should be the one doing all this, but for some reason she expected her husband to take that role on Brooke's life.

He didn't.

They moved, for the house brought so many memories. Brooke's older sister was a forbidden topic in the new house, and due to the lack of photographs and conversations, the long gone member of the family was forgotten by the youngest.

_"Brooke's sick," Brooke heard the raspy voice of her mother speaking to her father. Eight years old Brooke Davis stood by the door to watch yet another fight. She really didn't like those – she always locked herself in her bedroom in order not to hear the yells – but her stomach hurt too much and she wanted one of the adults to do something about it._

_"Take her to a doctor," her father answered without even looking up from the newspaper._

_"I can't," she said. "I have to go get my car; it's fixed."_

_"Well, I can't either," the man sounded a little impatient. "I have to work to pay for your car."_

_"Work," Victoria let out sarcastically. "If you don't wanna take her, just say it!"_

_"Victoria," he sighed. "You're being unreasonable."_

_"Unreasonable?! You never do anything to help in this house! All you do is work, work, work. I have to call someone to fix the sink, clean the pool, take care of the garden, pay attention to the lazy maids, everything!"_

_"I have to work!" He snapped. "Otherwise there'll be no money to pay all those employees you complain so much about! Is that what you want?"_

_"YES!" Victoria yelled angrily. "I want to be very poor and very miserable, if that's what's gonna take to bring my husband home!"_

_"OH," the man got up and hit the table with one hand. "So I'm the one who's never home now? You haven't stepped a foot in this house since Charlie!"_

_Brooke's mom was speechless after that and, for some reason, so was her dad.__ Just then, at the silence of the house, they realized a third breath in the room and turned around to find a very confused Brooke._

_"My tummy aches," Brooke pouted._

_"I know, honey," her dad fake smiled. "Mom is gonna take you to the doctor, ok?"_

_"Ok," she answered. They stayed in silence for a few seconds, but Brooke finally broke it with the words they least wanted to hear. "Dad, who's Charlie?"_

_It broke Victoria's heart to hear that her daughter had already f__orgotten her sister's existence, but after giving it a second thought, things were much easier if young Brooke didn't have to deal with this._

_"No one, honey," Victoria answered before her husband could even think of an answer.__ "Go to bed. Rosa will take you to the doctor tomorrow."_

Almost ten years later, Victoria kept her vow to never talk about Charlie with Brooke.

But now, hearing her daughter calling some friend her sister, made Victoria wonder if it really was a great idea to keep the existence of Charlie hidden from Brooke and everyone else who hadn't meet her when she was alive.

Victoria sighed as the images of thirteen years before invaded her mind.

_Charlotte Norah Davis, beloved daughter._

A/N: I'm not sure if I mentioned Brooke's age when her sister died, but if I did, then I changed this chapter. I decided Brooke was 3 when Charlie died, and, as you've noticed, Charlie had already graduated, but I'm still not sure how old could she be. I think she'll be only 18 or 19, so Brooke's parents won't be too old.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter.


	9. When We Face The Past,

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter IX

When We Face The Past,…

"Hey," a sweet voice called Brooke from behind. "Helena told me you ran away when Lucas arrived."

Brooke pretended not to hear those words and patted the empty spot next to her. Brooke was right now on her very favorite place in the whole California. It was an old abandoned deck in a part of the beach where no one went, since the waves were too strong and horrible for surf.

"Hey, J.J," Brooke rested her head on Jake's shoulder as he sat down next to her. He gently kissed the top of the girl's head and an enormous wave of sympathy ran through his body.

"Brooke," he sighed painfully. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running." She answered simply. "It's what I do best."

"But it's the worst thing to do." Brooke chuckled. "You have to stop running, Brooke."

"I know."

"Then why don't you do it?"

Brooke sighed tiredly.

"We all know cars pollute, but we still drive'm."

"What's your point, Brooke?" Jake did his best to keep his cool, but the girl was making it hard for him. It amazed him how the brunette could be so blind to think giving her baby was a good idea.

"It's not simple, Jake," she also sounded like she was trying to keep her cool, but she was doing a better job than him. "That's my point. It's not as simple as it sounds."

"Yes, it is!" Jake finally snapped. "All you have to do is face your problems, Brooke!"

"If it's so damn simple, then why don't _you_ face _your_ problems, Jake? Uh? Why aren't you in Tree Hill fighting for your daughter, Jake?" Brooke snapped too, but regretted it the second after she saw Jake's hurt expression. Brooke wanted to apologize; Brooke _needed_ to apologize, but Jake spoke first:

"You're right," he began. "It's not simple. But _you_ have got nothing to lose, Brooke. _You_ only have to talk to Lucas and that's it. _I_ have Jenny. I have _everything_ to lose. You… you have nothing. You already gave up everything you had."

And then he walked away, leaving an astonished Brooke with eyes pooled with tears.

Suddenly this place wasn't so special anymore.

XOXOXOXO

There were plenty of things Brooke missed because of the pregnancy.

She missed alcohol. To be honest, Brooke never really liked the taste of any drink. The effects of it were great, though. She kinda just got used to it, maybe.

She missed sex. To be honest, no one other than Lucas made her _really_ appreciate sex, and she really just liked the comfort she had two minutes after it was over.

She missed coffee. To be honest, she never really liked the taste of coffee either, but she got used to it after her first five hangovers. It wasn't about the taste, it was about how it made her feel.

Looking back at her old life, Brooke realized she was deeply misjudged not only by people around her, but also by herself. While everyone – including herself – saw her as an adventurous person, Brooke was really just… sad. She did all the things she used to do to feel alive; to feel something; anything. She never really appreciated the good things of life, she just kinda let them pass by her and enjoy the two minutes of comfort she felt after those.

Currently, Brooke is sitting on a table on the very same café she went with Jake the day she found out she would have to have an amniocentesis. The place was quiet and there were only five people there other than her. A cup filled with coffee was in front of her while she wondered if she should really try it.

Brooke decided to start to enjoy life a little more. Since alcohol and sex were out of question, she just figured she'd just try some coffee, since only one cup wouldn't hurt the baby and wouldn't make her addicted to it.

As she took a deep breath and brought the cup to her lips, the smell of the dark drink entered her nose and suddenly she felt a need to drink it the exact moment, so she did it.

What Brooke experienced that moment was different from everything she had ever experienced in her whole life. It wasn't about the coffee or its taste – which, by the way, was wonderful –, but more of an epiphany. Life was too short to just waste time drinking coffee as if it was nothing; she had to live. She had to drink coffee and taste its flavor; she had to take of life as much as she could.

Brooke knew all that.

Then why was it so hard to stop being afraid?

XOXOXOXO

Lucas opened the heavy oak door to some local café Jake told him to go to and immediately spotted the person he looked for sitting alone in a dark corner of the place, staring fixedly on a cup of coffee. She seemed so lost and out of place, with her long dark hair falling at the sides of her face, hiding her dimple-less cheeks and dreamy blue-ish green eyes. Lucas wondered if it was really necessary to know someone to be in love with that person, because at that very moment, he was pretty sure he was completely in love with that girl, but also knew nothing about her life. In his brief relationship with the brunette, Lucas thought he knew quite a lot about her, but now he knew he was wrong.

Before all this, Brooke was nothing more than a really funny, sexy, crazy girl he could always have fun with. She was his cheery, for the girl seemed to always be happy no matter what.

It is weird how sometimes we need some sort of tragedy or bad situation to realize how real a perfect person actually is.

Brooke was hot; it didn't take a day to piece that together, but at the age of nine, when Lucas first saw her, the brunette looked almost innocent. That was until you took a close look at the girl and then you would realize that already present sparkle in her eyes. That sparkle that clearly indicated the girl was trouble.

Lucas immediately got a crush on the brunette, which he maintained for two years, until the girl started to date. That was when Lucas realized the girl wasn't for him. At the time, Lucas wore braces and was even skinnier, so a girl like Brooke Davis would never look at him.

That was when he noticed Brooke's so different best friend, Peyton Sawyer. Something about the girl's closeness and darkness attracted him, but it would always be a mystery to him how two such different girls managed to become friends above all things.

"Excuse me," a shy voice brought him back to reality. Lucas looked down a little and met big brown eyes, which belonged to a really cute waitress. "You need help, sir?"

"Oh," Lucas blushed. "No, I, uh… Just saw a friend."

Lucas pointed towards Brooke's direction and left the waitress' side with a polite smile. Brooke was still there, unaware of Lucas' sudden approach or even his presence to begin with. When Lucas was actually close enough to be able to see that her cup was empty, Brooke looked up and her eyes met his. She didn't have a shocked expression. She didn't have a sad expression, much less a happy one. She just looked at him as if he was a strange.

Different from Brooke, Lucas felt all kinds of emotion when he finally got a chance to look into the girl's blue-ish green eyes. Today they were more blue than green.

"I guess this running thing just doesn't work, uh?" Brooke's voice was raspier than usual, but Lucas only liked it.

"Unless you're the bad guy," Lucas sat on the chair across Brooke and noticed the girl shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"So I'm not the bad guy?"

"No."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds that felt like minutes.

"What do you want from me, Brooke?" Lucas asked honestly. For the first time since the conversation – if he could really call it that – started, Lucas felt as if he was about to breakdown. His shoulders fell and his expression softened as tears made their way to his eyes.

"I don't know," Brooke answered with equally honesty. She didn't want him to cry because of her, but she didn't really know what she wanted from him. "I want you to go back in time, I guess. Back when I trusted you."

"Oh, Brooke…" he lamented. "I can't do this."

"I know."

"Is it really that bad?" He asked. "How you feel… Is it really that bad? Is it really that frightening?"

Brooke limited herself with a nod.

"Will you run again?"

"I hope not," she answered truthfully. They were in silence for a few minutes again, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't really silence, since both had their minds filled with thoughts of themselves.

"Why did you do it?" Lucas finally said. "Run, I mean. Why? I thought we were okay. I thought… I thought we were okay. You know?"

"We were okay," Brooke nodded. "But I saw the doubt in your eyes, Luke. Okay wasn't enough."

"Yeah, but…" Lucas trailed off.

"I needed you."

"I was there, Brooke."

"Yeah," Brooke's eyes softened. "But I _needed_ you."

"I know." Lucas' eyes softened as well.

XOXOXOXO

It wasn't until much later that same day that Brooke realized she had spent all those months without having one single nightmare about her pregnancy and slash or the baby. However, during her afternoon nap – which Brooke began to do more and more often as an effect from pregnancy – after her short talk with the blond ex-boyfriend, she had one of them again. She didn't know if it was due to her current situation or the return of Lucas, or maybe even both, but Brooke had the worse of all dreams, except for the one where her baby was dead.

In Brooke's dream, the doctors handed her a perfectly normal child completely asleep and for a moment Brooke let herself believe this was reality. Brooke smiled at her peaceful baby, completely lost in its first dream, when a doctor came to her.

"It's all your fault," he said. "If you hadn't drunk so much coffee, then your baby would be perfectly normal."

"What?" Brooke asked in fear. "What's going on?"

"Your baby has Down's syndrome, Brooke," the doctor's face twisted to her mother's face. The grave voice of the man was replaced with Victoria's harshest tone. "It's all your fault. Because you drank all that coffee."

Even though Brooke knew only a cup of coffee wasn't enough to cause any damage in a baby – especially Down's syndrome, which was a genetic error – Brooke couldn't help but cry silently after that dream. She knew it wasn't real, but it _felt_ real. She succumbed to sadness and let herself believe it was all her fault when it wasn't.

As the brunette cried silently in bed, her body forming a ball, Brooke slowly let herself fall back asleep. Just like the character in the book Lucas made her read, _The Winter of Our Discontent_, Brooke fell asleep to escape reality.

Only Brooke, different from Ethan, could never find peace in her dreams.

XOXOXOXO

At the nightfall that day, the phone finally rang. Brooke and Peyton were both in the living room, Brooke reading a magazine with her head on Peyton's lap while the blonde listened to music in her iPod, sharing an earphone with her friend. Lucas was sitting on the couch across the girls, pretending to be reading a book, but actually eyeing the two girls – especially Brooke – from time to time.

"Miss Davis," Helena, the maid, appeared through the doorway a few seconds after the phone's third ringing noise. Even though Brooke and Helena were pretty close for a girl and her maid, Helena insisted on calling her Miss Davis in front of visit, so Brooke was already used to it. "It's from the hospital."

Brooke sat up immediately and exchanged looks with Peyton and Lucas. Peyton still had the phone in her ear, but Brooke's had fallen when she got up. Lucas kept his finger on the page he was reading for the past thirty minutes, but his eyes weren't on the book anymore. In fact, he didn't even remember the book on his hand and only kept his finger on the page absentmindedly.

Brooke got up and grabbed the phone, slowly bringing it to her ear and mouth.

"Hello?" Brooke's voice was scratchy and sent shivers down Lucas' spine. Brooke was in silence for a few seconds before continuing. "This is she."

After about half a minute in silence, Brooke finally murmured a goodbye and hung up the phone. Lucas, Peyton and even Helena had their eyes glued on the girl's face.

"They said…" Brooke's voice was caught in her throat for a second, so she cleaned it. "They said they can't give information over the phone. I… We have to go there."

"Okay…" Peyton said slowly while getting up. "Okay. Grab your keys. I'll drive."

"It's in my room," Brooke looked at the floor. "Can you get it for me?"

"Sure. Just a sec." Then Peyton disappeared upstairs, followed by Helena.

Lucas and Brooke were in silence for what seemed like an eternity until Lucas finally decided to do something. He was honestly scared a little about Brooke's reaction, but decided to take a chance anyway. He moved closer to the girl, who still stared at her feet, and put one hand on her left shoulder.

"Brooke," Lucas tilted his head to the side, trying to look at the girl's eyes. "It's alright. It's just hospital policy, they never tell anything over the phone, not even good news."

Brooke remained in silence for what felt like hours, but were actually seconds, and Lucas was about to give up and let go of the girl's shoulder when she finally showed signs of life. Her body tilted a little towards Lucas body and for a second he thought she was about to pass out, but what happened surprised him a lot more than that. Brooke, still looking down, rested her forehead on his chest. Lucas' hand wasn't on her shoulder anymore, but a second after he regained his consciousness he put a hand on the top of the brunette's head, softly caressing her dark hair.

They remained like that for a few seconds before Brooke finally broke into sobs, wrapping her arms around Lucas, who immediately wrapped his own around her neck while still caressing her head.

"It's okay, Pretty Girl," he kissed her temple. "It's okay."

And then a few tears of his own made their way to Lucas' eyes.

A/N: I thought that ending was kinda cute. Hope you guys think the same. I feel inspired, so maybe next chapter won't take too long to come out. Who knows.


	10. The Present

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter X

...The Present

Home from a five-mile run after work, Jake peeled off his sweat-sticky white shirt and flung it over the chair he had on his bedroom on the Davis' residence. It was almost night and he was still feeling bad about quarreling with Brooke. He knew he had a point, but he also knew the brunette had one too. However, he couldn't stand looking at the girl making the same mistakes over and over again. He desperately wanted to knock some sense into her head, but now he realized he had done it the wrong way.

Jenny was sound asleep in her crib, which wasn't a good sign; that meant she was going to stay the whole night up. But Jake didn't really care, since he couldn't find the strength to bring his little girl back to the cruel reality. The brunette leaned on the crib and watched his little girl sleeping peacefully with a smile on his face. He honestly dreaded the day when she would be grown enough to leave his side, but also couldn't wait until she grew up a little. Even as a baby, Jenny already had a few remarkable characteristics. She was jealous in a cute way; she never let anyone get anywhere near the plastic keys Peyton gave her. She was also easily distracted; the kind of girl who was happy doing whatever it was wherever it was. But Jake still couldn't wait until the day he would finally be able to see her personality. He wanted to know if she would be into sports or cheerleading or studying. He wanted to know if she would be outgoing and crazy like Brooke, or shy and sweet like Haley or closed and moody, yet funny, like Peyton.

Jake was absorbed in his thoughts and forecasts for good 15 minutes, until a somewhat surprised voice woke him up from his daydreams:

"Jake?" He turned around and smiled to Helena's soft stare. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Jake smirked. "I live here."

Helena normally would roll her eyes and play along and when she didn't, Jake really started to worry.

"What's wrong?" Jake got up from the chair he was sitting on. "What happened?"

"It's Brooke," She started. Maybe it was just Jake's mind, but at that moment Helena's voice seemed to have failed. "She went to get the results of the exam."

In school Jake learned that he should dread clichés for dear life, but at that moment he couldn't help but realize the truth of some clichés such as "time froze". So, without much of a word, he ran out of the house, grabbed his bike and followed the streets that led to the hospital.

Jake was aware that when he got there, he was a lot more sweaty and sticky than before, but couldn't care less. Brooke and her baby were all that occupied his mind at the moment and he was more than reckless by entering the big building running faster than a bullet. A tall black guy who seemed to be a doctor stopped him.

"Oh, oh, oh," He held Jake by his shoulders. "Hold on, Tiger. Where's the fire? You can't run in a hospital, man, it's dangerous."

"I'm sorry…" Jake took a second to breathe. "My friend… I have to meet her."

"Alright." The doctor's calm tone seemed to have made Jake slow down a little. "What's her name and what wing is she at?"

"I…" Jake thought for a minute. "I don't know. She's here to get the results of her exams. She had an amniocentesis. She's only… only sixteen. She's scared. Her name is Brooke Davis."

"Alright," The doctor led him to an elevator. "That would be third floor. The fourth door at your left should be the family room. They're probably there."

"I…" Jake trailed off. "Thanks, doctor."

"You're welcome." He answered. Jake stepped into the elevator, which would be completely empty if it wasn't for an old lady who had entered before the brunette. "Hey."

Jake looked up with a questioning look.

"Your friend… She's gonna be okay."

Before Jake had a chance to process his words, the elevator's doors closed.

XOXOXOXO

When Jake reached the third floor, he didn't even need to look for the family room the doctor told him about. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator he saw the brunette he came to know and love for the last months. She looked so alone, standing in the middle of the corridor. So Jake called her name and ran towards her.

It wasn't until Jake was a few feet away from her that he noticed the other two blondes standing next to her on the same hallway. He slowly stopped running and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. If he had paid more attention he would've noticed Brooke had the exact same reaction as he did. Except she tried to speak once again and actually managed to find her voice.

"Jake..."

"Brooke," Jake unglued his eyes from Peyton, who was motionless staring at him as if she couldn't believe. "I'm sorry. What I said earlier… I… You were right. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just…"

"It's okay…" Brooke threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body. He was surprised for a second, but then regained balance and wrapped the fragile girls with his arms.

"I'm all sweaty." Jake chuckled.

"I don't care…" Brooke cried on his chest and Jake was actually starting to worry about oxygen becoming an issue to the girl, but she didn't seem to mind having her face buried on the taller brunette, so he just let her. "Thanks for coming, Jake."

"Anything for you, Brooke."

It was a fact that Peyton was speechless, but Lucas' feelings the moment he saw Jake were pretty confusing. It was the last person he expected to see, really. Of course that when both Brooke and Jake disappeared almost two months before school break people were suspicious. More than suspicious, really. There were rumors of all kind, but Lucas didn't believe in any of them. Some people even said Brooke was Jenny's real mom, which really amused both Lucas and Peyton. But now, looking at them shared such an intimate gesture such as a comforting hug made Lucas consider the possibility that they were actually lovers.

Lucas felt his blood boil for the first time since he met Brooke again. However, he didn't know if he was more mad at Jake or Brooke. He was mad at Jake because he was his friend, the first person he told about Brooke's pregnancy, and still the boy couldn't pick up the phone and tell him where Brooke was when he knew better than anyone how it fragile issues involving kids were. He wanted to jump on the guy in front of him and yell at him, but knew that this wasn't the best time.

But Lucas was also mad at Brooke. How could she just run away like that with Jake? Lucas knew Jake was probably the nicest person he knew, but Brooke barely knew him back then. How could she just leave him, the father of her baby, with a simple note written last minute with someone she barely knew?

"Excuse me?" Lucas' thoughts were interrupted by a voice he didn't recognize. Brooke kept her face buried on Jake's chest, but the boy was paying full attention while stroking her hair softly. "Brooke Davis?"

Brooke finally found the courage to take her face out of Jake's chest, but had to take a deep breath before doing so. Her face was all wet with tears, but to Lucas she was just as beautiful as ever.

"If you don't mind going inside, I can explain to you all the…"

"No." Brooke interrupted the doctor. "Just say it. Yes or no. Just answer me that and then I'll listen to you as long as you need me to. But now just… Just tell me that. Yes or no? Does my kid have Down's syndrome or not?"

"I…" The doctor was a little taken aback by Brooke's sudden demonstration of confidence and certainty. So he just took a deep breath and showed her a small smile. "No. Definitely not."

XOXOXOXO

The entire ride to Brooke's house was quiet.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, but no one dared to say a word. Brooke knew Peyton probably had a lot to say about the fact that she was hiding Jake on her house when he was supposed to be in Seattle, but she also knew the girl was holding back because of the situation they had just passed through.

Brooke really couldn't care less. All that was on her mind was the fact that her baby was okay. It was going to be okay.

Subconsciously, Brooke let out a hoarse breath. And that seemed to be enough to make the whole atmosphere of the car change, like a signal that Brooke was officially okay and could now be yelled at.

"Ok, what the hell, Brooke?" Peyton's voice was the first to break the silence. "Jake? Anyone can explain that to me? Coz last time I checked, you were supposed to be in Seattle, completely ignoring my e-mails."

"Yeah," Lucas cut in before neither brunette could answer. "And last time _I_ checked, you were supposed to be my _friend_, completely ignoring my e-mails in freaking _Seattle_, not hiding with the mother of _my_ baby, whose locality I had _all_ right to know!"

To say Lucas was mad was an understatement. He was furious, he was disappointed, he was frustrated, but mad definitely wasn't an adjective you could use to describe his feelings at the moment.

"And you…" Lucas turned to face Brooke. "Do you really hate me _that_ much? You could trust him, who you barely knew, and couldn't trust me?"

"Well, Jake didn't cheat on me with my best friend, now, did he?" Brooke spat coldly.

"That's not fair, Brooke," Lucas was furious. "You can't use that as an excuse for everything, you know?"

"An excuse?" Brooke was now just as furious as the blonde. "You _cheated on me with my __**best friend**_, Lucas! My best fucking friend! You spoiled insensitive brat… You have NO idea how much you hurt me, Lucas!"

"You forgave me," Peyton cut in. "Why can't you just forgive him too?"

"Because I was forced to forgive you, Peyton!" Brooke yelled. The whole car was silent for a moment. They stopped on a red light. "You're my P. Sawyer, Peyt. I couldn't just let you go… You're the most important person in my life and I'm not just saying that. I couldn't just let go of you."

Peyton's eyes softened and her shoulders dropped.

"I'm sorry I kept the fact that Jake is living with me from you, but he asked me not to tell anyone and I owed him at least that." Brooke's tone was a lot softer now that she was talking to Peyton.

"I'm sorry to put you in the middle of this, Brooke," Jake finally spoke. "And, Peyton, I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was, it's just… I couldn't. It's not that I don't trust you, cuz I do. I trust you with my life. I trust you with Jenny's life, actually. I just… didn't want Nikki to have any chance to track me down, and I knew that if you knew I was with Brooke, you'd keep asking her and, I don't know… Maybe Nikki would find a way to discover where I was. I'm really sorry, Peyton."

"It's ok," Peyton showed him a small smile. "I understand… I just… You know?"

"Yeah," Jake smiled back. "And Luke… I'm sorry, man. But Brooke asked me not to tell you where she was, and… Well, I owed her at least that much."

"But what about me?" Lucas was still angry. "I understand that Brooke couldn't tell Peyton where you were, but you had to tell me where Brooke was, Jake. Peyton wasn't expecting your child. You don't know how it is to wake up and realize the mother of your baby is just… gone! How do you think I felt, uh, Jake? Uh, Brooke?"

"Luke…" Brooke started.

"No!" Lucas interrupted. "Gosh, what do you think I am, Brooke? Do you think I'm just a jerk? That I didn't care about my own kid? Is that what you think? That only because I wasn't carrying the child I didn't love it just as much as you did? That I don't love it like you do?"

Truth is, that's exactly what Brooke thought.

Brooke's dad never really cared about her, so in Brooke's mind it wasn't possible that any dad could love his child. At least not as much as the mom, anyway. She could see how Peyton's dad loved her, true, but she could also see how the absence of her mother had always been bigger than the presence of her dad. Brooke thought that because the mother had a stronger bond with the child, then the love was already there, even though she didn't really get that from her mom.

"Yes…" Brooke's eyes were now flooded with tears. "I thought you didn't love it… the baby. I thought it was just a burden to you."

"Did you really think that poorly of me, Brooke?"

"I didn't!" Brooke added quickly. "I don't! It's just that… I knew you could love the baby. I knew you would love the baby. I just… I never thought you actually loved it like it is. Not born yet."

"Oh, Brooke," it never failed to amaze him how a single tear falling from her eyes made him soften like a girl. "I do. I love our baby."

And just then Brooke realized how big the problem in her hands actually was.

"But you can't…" Brooke cried. "You can't just love it. It's not yours to love."

"Yes, it is. It's mine just as much as it is yours, Brooke."

"Then it isn't yours," Brooke sighed. "Because it's not mine at all."

"Just quit it, Brooke," Jake cut in. "Don't give it away, Brooke."

"I don't get why you need to give it to adoption so badly," Peyton cut in as well. "It's not like you don't have money. I mean, I know you don't have the best parents, but they certainly wouldn't refuse to feed you, right? And, if they did, you still have Karen and my dad."

"It's not about that." Brooke looked away.

"Then what is it about, Brooke?" said Lucas. "Because I still don't understand. It is possible to be happy with a dysfunctional family, you know? So we're gonna study and take care of a child at the same time? Big deal. We can do this. We can make our kid happy in that condition."

"It's not about that either." Brooke was in the verge of breaking down.

"Then what is it about, Brooke?" Lucas was pushing her further than she could handle and he knew that, but it was necessary if he wanted to see his kid. "Because none of us here can see your point, and we're not stupid."

"It's because I'm scared!" Brooke yelled, finally breaking down. Peyton, who was driving, pulled over. Brooke hugged her legs and buried her face on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm scared I'm gonna screw everything up…" Brooke's voice started to reach a tone higher, clearly indicating that she was crying. "I'm scared the baby is gonna hate me like I hate my parents."

Her entire life, Brooke thought her problems weren't nearly as important as Peyton's. Her mom wasn't dead, afterall. So maybe because of that, Brooke always pushed her problems to the back of her head and always focused on fixing her blond friend. The day Peyton's mom died, Brooke remembered her parents having a huge fight before she went to school. She remembered hearing her mom yell about someone named Charlie. Brooke remembered hearing that name a few times during her parents' fights, but it wasn't until that day that she started to believe her father had a lover.

The day Peyton cried on her shoulder because her dad had forgotten her birthday was the day Brooke's mother hit her for the first time. It wasn't anything brutal and it didn't leave any marks – not physical –, in fact it was just a slap, but it was like a piece of Brooke died that day.

The day Peyton had her first fight with Nathan was the day the name Charlie was mentioned once again in her house, this time making it a lot clearer to Brooke that her dad indeed had a lover. She remembered her mother yelling at her father like it was just five minutes ago. She still remembered her mother's tone, every pause, every breath.

"You'll never love me or Brooke as much as you hate the fact that Charlie left, will you?" were the exact words her mother used that day. She had seen her dad angry lots of times since she was a kid, but this time he wasn't angry… He was just sad.

"Why do you keep bringing her up?" He asked in a tired tone. "You'll never let go, will you?"

"Not until you do."

And that day Brooke realized her dad really loved that Charlie lady.

Brooke didn't really know why all of a sudden she decided to remember all those stuff, but it only made her feel worse. She felt a burden to everyone in that car and to everyone she loved. It never failed to amaze her how she still found it in her heart to love her parents and sometimes it made her feel good because that meant she wasn't half a bad person as she thought she was. But mostly it made her angry, because she knew that would only hurt her in the future.

But that was only because nobody did anything to prove her wrong.

A/N: Hey guys. I don't have much to say, just that I loved the ending of this chapter. I don't know why, but maybe because it was really honest. I put a lot of my feelings into it. But don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make Peyton look selfish and I'll prove that to you next chapter. Speaking of… next chapter Brooke will face the future.

By the way, guys, today I had my very last English class, which means I officially can speak English! YAY! Now I have a cute little certificate :D how great is that?

See you next chapter! I love you guys :)


	11. And The Future

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter XI

... And The Future

"I'm afraid it's gonna hate me like I hate my parents."

The moment Brooke said those words, she felt guilty. It wasn't because she felt guilty for her words; it was actually because she had lied. She didn't hate her parents… Not at all, actually. She was just disappointed at them. She just felt sad because she felt like they didn't love her, but that never stopped her from loving them.

Someone tried to put their hand on her back to comfort her, but that was the last thing Brooke wanted. She flinched at the touch and the hand immediately disappeared. The car was silent and the tension could be cut with a knife.

"Just go…" Brooke managed to say between her sobs. Peyton didn't need another word; she started to drive immediately.

Truth was, Peyton had never seen Brooke so broken. She could remember seeing Brooke crying in the waiting room in the hospital when Lucas was in an accident, but she felt so bad herself that she didn't even try to comfort the brunette.

And then it finally hit Peyton. That was the Brooke she knew. That girl who went to parties and got drunk, danced on tables and let boys touch her was long gone and this was a new version of her friend. The old Brooke back. The girl who was extremely selfless and let her cry on her shoulder and never made a big deal of her own problems. The Brooke she came to know and love from the day they met.

The moment Peyton parked the car in the garage, Brooke unbuckled her seatbelt and left the car, slamming the door right after. The car was silent after that and nobody dared to speak. So they left the car as well, each with their own thoughts. Jake took his bike out of the trunk and called after Peyton.

"Hey, can we talk?" He asked. "Like… In private?"

"Sure." She said; and Lucas used this chance to go after Brooke.

He opened the front door, stepping into the house and immediately meeting an empty living room. He silently walked up the stairs, not really knowing where Brooke's bedroom was. The walls of the house were all of a light shade of beige that really didn't go with Brooke's personality. He remembered the red door on her old house and nearly smiled.

When Lucas reached the second floor he didn't even have to look for Brooke. She was standing in front of a very white door with a big envelope in hands. Her face was still completely wet with the tears and her eyes were red, but Lucas couldn't help thinking that she looked beautiful with her hair all messy and simple clothes.

"There are twelve pictures and one video tape here," she started. Lucas simply stood still, not wanting to scare the girl now that she finally started talking. "All of our baby."

Lucas' heart beat faster.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her voice started to shake as if she would start crying again. "I'm sorry I thought you didn't love our baby."

"I'm sorry I never told you I did," Lucas' eyes softened. He walked slowly towards Brooke and put one hand on the back of her head, gently pulling it towards his chest. The brunette simply let her face touch the soft material of his shirt and took a deep breath. Memories of all the nights she spent with Lucas came flooding back just by the smell of his shirt; a mix of powdered soap and Lucas' own scent.

"I don't think poorly of you, Luke," she said sweetly. "I really don't. I just think poorly of men in general, and I guess it was hard to trust you, especially when you weren't here to remind me why you're so different from everyone else."

Lucas smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"It's ok."

"It's not… I just want you to know I didn't think you were like your dad. Not for one second… I never…"

Lucas' heart hurt. How could someone be so endlessly sweet like Brooke? It was like she could read all the fear that he had in his heart and he wished that this moment would last forever. He hoped this moment would last forever.

"I didn't want to know the sex," Brooke started once again, this time with a sob-less voice. "Of the baby? The doctors knew it and I asked them not to tell me. Coz I wanted you to be with me when I found out. I guess I just… I just hoped you were a bad guy, but I actually knew you weren't. I just thought it would be a lot easier without you around, so you wouldn't be able to hurt me… But I was wrong. Because these months away from you were a lot harder than anything I've ever gone through. I…" Brooke hesitated. "I want you to be a father to that child."

Lucas felt his eyes flooding with the tears that were threatening to fall, so he didn't do anything to stop them. He just let the tears fall from his eyes, because none of it mattered anymore. Brooke was letting him in and was giving him the chance to do all he wanted to do: be a father to his baby. To their baby.

"Oh, Brooke," Lucas pulled away to face the girl. She had a fearful smile on her face. "Thank you… You won't regret it. I promise."

Brooke simply nodded, a tear falling slowly from her left eye.

"You're so pretty," Lucas smiled, a little embarrassed for his tears. "Pretty Girl."

Holding onto Lucas' shirt for dear life, Brooke realized she was wrong the whole time. She was in love with Lucas Scott.

So she cried.

XOXOXOXO

"Are you going back to Tree Hill?" Peyton finally asked after at least five minutes of silence, just walking around. The streets were silent and there wasn't a single soul around. However, with Jake by her side, Peyton felt safe like she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"I don't know." Jake answered truthfully. Peyton tried hard not to frown at that and kept her fake smile.

"So, how's The Land of Milk and Honey?"

"It's cool," Jake chuckled. "Jenny loves it in here. Brooke takes her to the beach like all the time. Los Angeles is a big place, so we don't have to worry about people talking all the time and stuff like that… It's pretty cool."

"You guys still go to school, right?" Peyton asked worried.

"Of course," Jake smiled. "It's a nice school. I work at the afternoons to pay for it."

"What about your parents?"

"Well, they can't exactly send me money. I mean, that'd be an easy way for Nikki to find out where I am, you know? So I work. I can't pay for one of those expensive schools, but Brooke threatened her parents, so they pay for me to go to the same school that Brooke. But I still work coz I don't want to depend on them so much. I'm planning on paying for at least a half of it and my parents will pay for the other half."

"Oh," Peyton had nothing more to ask. "So, uh… You and Brooke are really close now, uh?"

"Yeah," Jake smiled and looked at Peyton for a second before returning his glance to his shoes. "She's something else."

"That's Brooke." Peyton smiled too.

They walked in silence for five more minutes before Peyton suddenly stopped. It took Jake a few seconds to realize the blonde had stopped, so he stopped a few feet ahead of her.

"What's wrong?" Jake looked worriedly at Peyton.

"What are you doing, Jake?" Peyton sighed. "You say Brooke can't run, can't do this or that… But what about you? For all I'm seeing, you're running, too."

"Peyton," Jake sighed. "I can't let Nikki have Jenny."

"Then fight her, Jake!" Peyton yelled. "Do you really think she stands a chance against you? We'll work something out! We'll gather lots of money and hire the best lawyer of the country, if it's necessary. Just stop… stop running."

Peyton had tears in her eyes and it broke Jake's heart to see the tough girl that he knew she was breaking down like that. He wanted to comfort her, hold her against his chest and tell her it was going to be okay. But he couldn't.

"I need you, Jake," Jake's eyes softened. "Everybody's so wrapped up in their own problems, and I'm just… Alone. And I miss you and Jenny…"

"What happened?" Jake approached the blonde and for the second time that night, a girl buried her head on his chest and cried. Jake gently stroked Peyton's hair, dying to know what was going on with the girl, but afraid to ask.

"It's okay…" Jake whispered. "Whatever it is… I'm here."

"It's not!" Peyton separated her head from his chest to look at him in the eyes and the sight before Jake broke his heart. Peyton's beautiful green eyes were puffy and red, but despite the fact that she had mascara running down her whole face, Jake realized he had never seen the girl so beautiful before. She was afraid, but she was certain. For once in her life she knew what she wanted.

"I _need_ you, Jake…" She begged him to understand. "I need you like I never needed anyone before and it scares the hell out of me, because… People always leave. And you have shown you're one of the leavers, and I just… I hate myself for needing you so much. It's just that… Brooke's gone, and my dad's gone… Lucas had his own problems, and Nathan and Haley are adjusting to the married life… And there's just so much going on in my life."

"Like what?" Jake wanted to cry after seeing the girl so broken in front of him.

"Like…" Peyton sighed. "All of it. Everything's just… overwhelming. And Brooke's gone. And I miss her."

"Brooke isn't gone," Jake gently stroked Peyton's face, cleaning her cheeks with his thumbs. "And neither am I. I'm here with you."

"For now!" Peyton no longer cried, but still sound desperate for him to understand. "What about tomorrow? What's going to happen, Jake? You know it's only a matter of time until Lucas convinces Brooke to keep this baby… or until Brooke manages to disappear in the air, I don't know. And then what are you going to do?"

Jake opened his mouth to respond the girl, but then he realized he didn't have an answer to that question.

What was he going to do?

XOXOXOXO

Lying in beg with his arms around Brooke, Lucas considered the possibility that he was dead. It seemed almost surreal the simple idea of being so cozy with her when only the day before he had no idea where she was.

"That was the first ultrasound," Brooke announced after taking a piece of paper out of a pink box. "It's circled because I honestly still can't see the baby in this picture, but the doctor showed me. It was kinda like the size of a bean back then, so…"

Lucas couldn't see the baby either, only a small blur, but there was something amazing about that white blur that made his heart beat faster. Maybe it was because for the first time it felt real. That was the baby that was growing inside of Brooke's belly and it was happening, it wasn't just a crazy dream.

"Those are the other ultrasounds… I have them once every month." Brooke, whose head was rested on Lucas' chest, looked up and smiled at the blonde. "This one already shows its legs and arms. Can you see it?"

Brooke pointed the baby-shaped blur on the picture and Lucas' face lit up. It was perfect.

"It's perfect…"

"I know," Brooke wiped away the tears she had in her eyes and her smile grew larger. "In this envelope there's the sex of the baby."

Lucas' smile slowly disappeared, but not out of sadness or anything like that. It was more because of the surprise.

"I'm ready to see it… If you're ready too."

Lucas looked at the envelope Brooke handed to him. It was amazing how there were only two possibilities, boy or girl, but it still seemed impossible to know each one it would be.

"I'm ready…" Lucas said softly.

With trembling hands, Brooke opened the envelope and sat down, being followed by the blonde. Brooke shot Lucas a fearful glance and the boy immediately put a comforting hand on her shoulder, softly whispering "it's okay" a few times.

"So…?" Lucas gulped. "What does it say?"

"It says…" Brooke looked at the envelope and her eyes narrowed as tears once again fell from her face.


	12. When We Love

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter XII

When We Love

"It's a girl."

Lucas didn't know it yet, but those four words would change his life forever; he would forever remember how his heart skipped a beat at them. He knew that from the moment he accepted that baby he wanted it to be a boy, since they were so much easier to deal with. But at that moment, hearing Brooke's raspy voice whispering it was a girl, the idea of a boy seemed incredibly wrong.

They were having a girl and it just felt right.

"It's a girl," Lucas had to say it; he needed to hear his own voice saying those words. "It's a girl."

A smile made its way to his face as realization hit him. His smile soon became laughter and his laughter soon became tears as he held Brooke tightly. The girl seemed to be in shock; she didn't show any indication that she was still alive.

"We're having a girl," Lucas stroked Brooke's hair. "A babygirl."

And it just felt right.

XOXOXOXO

"We have a problem," Brooke stated.

It didn't take a genius to realize that not only Brooke but all of them were completely exhausted. It seemed almost surreal that this morning she thought her baby had Down's syndrome while tried to escape its father at the same time. And now her baby wasn't just an _it_. It was a baby girl. A perfect, health baby girl.

"Only one?" Peyton joked. The four of them were sprawled on Brooke's living room; the two boys with Brooke in the middle and Peyton on the floor playing with Jenny.

"For now, yes," Brooke seemed to be returning to her normal self with any past second and it made everyone else more comfortable. The thing about Brooke was that she hardly showed weakness in front of others and when she did it made everyone feel bad. "My mom is coming home anytime soon and I really don't know how to tell her I'm going back to Tree Hill."

"What about your dad?" Peyton unglued her eyes from Jenny to look at Brooke. "He's always been a lot calmer than Victoria."

"Yeah, well, he's out traveling," Brooke rolled her eyes and added air quotes when she spoke the word traveling. "Probably with his lover _Charlie_."

"C'mon, Brooke, this Charlie chick was years ago," said Peyton. "In Tree Hill. Do you really think they still have an affair?"

"Probably not," Brooke sighed and gave up. "Maybe that's why he's so miserable. Both of them, actually. I just can't understand why they don't just split up, you know? It would be a lot easier to everyone."

"Who would you live with if that was the case?" Lucas asked curiously.

"My dad," Brooke said as if it was obvious. "It's not like he's any better than my mom. He's not. It's just that he's out a lot more than my mom, so I'd have more peaceful hours. But it's not like it matters anyway. They'll probably disinherit me and my baby after tonight, anyway."

Everyone stayed silent, not really knowing what to say. They all wished they could comfort Brooke and tell her it was not true; that her parents would love her anyway, but none of them was sure of that.

"Oh my God," Brooke's eyes narrowed. "What are you going to do, Jake? I was just so caught up in my own selfishness that I didn't even… Gosh, I'm so sorry."

"You're not selfish, Brooke, not even a little bit. And it's ok, I'll just… I'll go back to Tree Hill. I think I…" Jake took a deep breath. "I think I'll fight Nikki."

Brooke's lips o-shaped.

"It's no point running away," Jake shrugged. "I mean, someday Jenny will be big enough to ask about her mother, or about why we move so much. Might as well get this over with, right?"

"Right."

"So this is the plan," Lucas started. All eyes turned to him. "Jake can stay with me at Dan's house. Daddy dearest seems to be doing everything in his power to please me since I moved in. I'm not Dan's biggest fan, but if there's something that guy can do is keep a secret."

"Do you think we should trust Dan?" asked Peyton worriedly.

"No," Lucas sighed. "But it's either that or Nikki finds him at his parents' house."

The rest of the teenagers shared a defeated look.

XOXOXOXO

It's in there all the time, waiting for a way out.

The truth, it is.

Victoria Davis had become quite an expert in lies and if there's one thing liars should always keep in mind is that lies are most likely to be discovered. However, Victoria wasn't just some amateur. She lied to her daughter for almost her entire life and wasn't planning on breaking the habit any time soon. But the truth never disappears, doesn't matter how much you want them to, and in the end of the day her daughter was still dead.

And in the end of the day she still loved her other daughter. Even though she had spent her entire life making the girl think she didn't, the truth was that Victoria loved Brooke. Not only because she was her daughter – although that was a very big part of it – but also because Brooke was so… alive. And that was also the reason why she couldn't stand seeing her interacting with other people; the way Brooke always smiled and made everyone laugh, the way her dimples never seemed to want to go away, the way she was who she was, no excuses. The way she was so sweetly unaware of the cruel reality, all because her mother was a coward.

In the movie of her life, the moment Brooke questioned her who was Charlie was the moment Victoria's eyes should've softened with realization. She should have realized that very moment how lost her family's life had became; a life of two people who dreaded being remembered of the tragedy that brought them to that 5 thousand population town; two people who were ruining some of the most precious memories of their now only daughter. That, Victoria thought, was the moment she could have fixed things. And now, years after, the choice she made of keeping the truth from her daughter still haunted her.

That was probably why she didn't say anything when Brooke said she was moving back to Tree Hill.

And that was probably the reason why she bought one single ticket to Paris and left California. Luckily for good.

XOXOXOXO

"I don't get it," Brooke said for the millionth time that day. Lucas smiled amusedly, Peyton sighed annoyed, Jake shook his head with a smile and Jenny giggled. All of them, except for the baby, had the exact same reaction every time Brooke said it and probably would continue this way, since none of them had the guts to tell her to shut up. "She just let me come. She didn't argue, she didn't threaten me, she didn't even ask me to wait until dad came home."

"Let it go, Brooke," Peyton said impatiently. They were all squeezed on Brooke's bed while she packed her suitcase. Lucas sat at the foot of the bed, concentrated on looking through Brooke's exams and ultrasounds while Jake made faces and sounds to Jenny's entertainment. Peyton simply lay there, dividing her eyes between the four of them.

After a few minutes of silence, broken only by Jake's doofy sounds and Jenny's giggles, Peyton finally gathered the courage to speak:

"So what the hell is going on between you two, anyway?" All eyes, except for Jenny's, were turned to her.

"You two who?" Brooke asked. She stopped folding her pants and looked at Peyton.

"You and Lucas."

"Jealous?" Brooke quickly asked, trying to sound joking, but actually being a little harsh.

"No…" Peyton spoke slowly. "It's just… with the baby and stuff; I thought you two had…"

"We're not together," Brooke cut her off before she could finish or before Lucas could answer for himself.

"So you're just friends?" Jake kinked an eyebrow. Again, Brooke answered before Lucas:

"We're _trying_ to."

Lucas couldn't say that answer didn't hurt him a little. It was silly of him to think they'd automatically become friends after everything they went through; he knew that. But somehow, deep down, he hoped that she would forgive him that easily. He hoped things would magically work out and they'd be one big happy family.

"We can't just be one big happy family," Brooke continued. Lucas' stomach dropped. "It doesn't work that way."

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice failing a little. He cleared his throat. "But we're working on that. Right?"

"Right."

"Right."

Peyton raised her eyebrows and mouthed "okay" to herself before turning back to Jake and Jenny.

On the floor, with her back turned to everybody else, Brooke closed her eyes and bit her lower lip.

_Don't worry, baby_, she thought. _I'll have things worked out with your daddy someday. Don't worry._

But in reality those words were more to reassure herself rather than her baby.

A/N: I know, I know! That was WAY too short, but…. Well, I'm just so busy all the time lately and I was feeling kinda guilty for leaving you hanging, so I decided to post it like it is, short and sucky. So, girl, uh? Do you guys like it? I was going to make it a boy, but… well, you'll find out soon enough (or not) why I chose a girl, lol (evil grin)

SO, HAVE YOU GUYS WATCHED OTH NEW SEASON?? WTFFFFFF WAS THAT? Seriously, PUCAS SUCKS! I WANT MY BRUCAS BACK!! (cries a river) Man, I was awake until like 2 in the morning waiting for someone to put the episode on the Internet for me to download. I'm so freaking tired, I had like three tests today and I'm having other two tomorrow and I WANT BRUCAS. Oh, Jesus, NOW I'm depressed.

AND OH, I'm so sure it was Bitchtoria who sent that person to hit Brooke. I'm like a hundred per cent sure. Plus, I THINK Brooke will help that girl who tried to shoplift. Remember that girl? She seemed lost and crazy, a little like Brooke used to be… except with Peyton's clothes lol. Oh, and bad hair. Oh, wait, that's Peyton too. HA, I know, I'm evil, sue me. As we all know, Brooke wants to adopt a kid, maybe that girl'll have something to do with that sudden desire of her or something? I don't know. I hope so. And it's not like that girl appeared just to shoplift… It's obvious she'll play a big part on the show sooner or later. Especially now that Mouth and Millicent are leaving, the show will need someone to fill the void.

Man, poor Brooke… It's like everyone's leaving her! Angie, Peyton, Millicent, Mouth, Rachel… I just hope Rachel comes back, I miss her. I feel something big is going to happen to Brooke; I just do.

Oh, whatever. Just read and review. Please? Okay.


	13. When Hearts Are Broken

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter XIII

When Hearts Are Broken

Haley surveyed the various Louis Vuitton bags and trunks that surrounded Brooke, the LV monograms multiplying and making her feel dizzy. If someone told her only a semester ago that her best friend would get Brooke Davis – the most popular and beautiful girl in school – pregnant, Haley would have laughed at their face. Now it was a fact.

She watched carefully as her husband, Nathan Scott, hugged Brooke and the brunette smiled, standing on the tip of her toes to rest her chin on his shoulder. They stayed like that for good twenty seconds before Brooke pulled away and said something that made Nate laugh. She winked at him and then turned her head to look at Haley, as if noticing her for the first time there.

Haley forced a smile, not sure if she should just nod her head or wave. Her answer came the second after when Brooke walked towards her and hugged her. It surprised Haley how Brooke's arms didn't feel hesitant or forced around her body, so she relaxed.

"Welcome back, Tiger," she smiled.

"Thanks, Tutor Girl," Brooke winked letting her know she wasn't about to forget her old nickname anytime soon. Haley's smile widened in the form of a low chuckle. "It's good to be back."

Lucas suddenly appeared next to Brooke and smiled at his best friend. Haley returned the smile.

"How are my favorite girls?" Lucas asked.

"We're good," Brooke said meaningfully. The way she answered Lucas without taking her eyes off of Haley's made the girl believe they were really okay, despite their past.

"So, who's ready to some fun heavy lifting?" Lucas asked loudly with fake enthusiasm. An equally fake sound of cheeriness echoed behind the blond boy as Brooke and Haley shared a laugh.

"I feel bad that I can't help," Brooke said worriedly eyeing Haley.

"No, you don't," Haley half chuckled.

"No, I don't," Brooke agreed with a giggle as she practically skipped to the house, reminding Haley of a much older Little Red Riding Hood. That thought made Haley chuckle as she shook her head and followed Brooke inside.

They were good.

XOXOXOXO

Brooke sat on the comfortable soft white couch and stared at the window. The cool thing about Tree Hill was that it wasn't nearly as hot as California. Sure she loved the beaches and everything else, but her belly was now starting to show and she didn't feel nearly as comfortable as she used to. She sighed.

"Are you okay?" Nathan sat down by her side, staring at her with a small smile. Brooke couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Yeah," she said. "Just a little worried about Karen."

"A little?"

"Or a lot. Whatever."

Nathan chuckled.

"She's gonna be happy to see you, Brooke," Nathan's voice was honest. "Karen's a wise woman. She knows you're like a kitten."

"I'm like a kitten?" Brooke's face lit up.

"Yeah. A street cat. Almost impossible to catch." Brooke frowned. "She knows better than to scare you."

"You're like a parrot. Seems cute when you see, but once you get anywhere near you realize they're just annoying."

Nathan laughed and lightly pushed Brooke aside, getting up afterwards.

"See you around, Brooke."

"It's Queen Brooke to you!" She yelled as he left the living room to grab more bags.

"Queen Brooke?" Haley laughed as she passed by the living room with an empty glass of water.

"You can just call me Brooke."

"No, I kind of like Queen Brooke," Haley chuckled. "It's got a ring to it."

"I know, right?"

"I was being ironic, Brooke."

"Just go drink your water, Haley."

"Yes ma'am."

"Royalty," Brooke corrected her and Haley laughed.

XOXOXOXO

Despite the countless bags and trunks Brooke brought, the teenagers finished moving everything in pretty quickly. The hard part was left to Brooke; unpacking.

"Trying to leave the unpacking for later, uh?" Lucas entered the bedroom with a careful smile, eyeing Brooke. She was sitting in his bed, staring at the bags that covered the floor.

"Just waiting for confirmation."

"Confirmation?"

"Yeah. You know, what if your mom hates me?"

"Brooke," Lucas laughed. "My mom doesn't hate you. Trust me; she doesn't. She loves you. Plus, even if she did, she's gonna want her granddaughter near her, right?"

"But I want her to like me," Brooke looked away. "Your mom is so… so great, Lucas. You grew up with her, so you can't see as clearly as I do. She's just so… perfect. She's the perfect mom. You know? Super mom."

That very moment Lucas knew he had just seen the real Brooke. That was who she was, no pretending, no mask. That was the true Brooke; she had flaws, she sinned, she was vulnerable and insecure.

He just wanted to hold her forever and never let go.

The sight of Brooke, sitting in his bed, her heart ripped off from her chest and practically written all over her face for him to read was just so touching he couldn't form words. He wanted to hold her and tell her about all the romance in the world; the trees, the birds, the children, the flowers, the smells, the smiles, the hugs, the honesty. He wanted to make her believe in all those things, because he felt deep in his heart they were all truth. He wanted to show her all this. But when he looked at how the moonlight entered through the window and adorned her face perfectly, how her hair fell slightly on her eyes and how cute her slightly up-turned nose together with her pair of dimples and pink naked lips were, the words escaped him. So he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

"You're so beautiful."

She turned her eyes from the sky and looked curiously at him. Her lips were slightly parted and the cute little spot she had on her right cheek was at full display, clearly indicating she wore little or no makeup. She took a deep breath and for a second she looked as if she were about to cry.

"You're so evil," was her comeback.

Lucas was a little taken aback by her answer. She pressed her lips together harshly, probably to keep the tears from falling, and looked away. Lucas didn't know what to say, how to answer her statement. But he didn't have to, since she looked back at him, her eyes shinning with the tears she so eagerly tried to keep from falling. What she didn't know, though, was that she couldn't have looked more vulnerable than that even if a thousand tears were shed.

"Don't you see you're breaking my heart, Lucas?" She dug her nails in the mattress. "You can't just be so nice after everything that's happened, Luke."

"I know," his voice was even softer than his eyes. "I'm not trying to, Brooke. You're just… I'm just… I'm being honest."

"And it's breaking my heart…"

"Why?"

"Because you hurt me so much, damnit!" She got up quickly and the first tears left her eyes and made their way to the floor. "What happened to Peyton?"

"I…" Lucas opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"That's what I thought." Lucas could honestly say his heart broke that very moment.

"I never meant to hurt you…" He tried desperately.

"I know…" her voice wasn't above a whisper. They stayed in silence.

"It used to be so much easier to hate you…"

A/N: I know this was amazingly quick (for me, at least) and equally short, but I just… I don't know, I sat down and just wrote. It wasn't planned, it just came to me like that. But that's a good thing, because that last "scene" is going to be the key to maaaany other Brucas scenes. YAY 8D this chapter was actually supposed to be about Brooke's return to Tree Hill High, but I guess that'll have to be left to next chapter, uh? Anyway, hope you guys liked it.

Thanks for all the positive feedback, people. You rock!


	14. When Hearts Remain Broken

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter XIV

When Hearts Remain Broken

Brooke poked her head out of Lucas' old bedroom after a long nap full of bad dreams involving alien babies. Even though Brooke had been having those nightmares for a long time, she still hadn't gotten used to them, nor did she think she ever would. However, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind when she saw Lucas' figure sitting on a couch in the living room. Karen was nowhere to be seen, but judging by the time it was safe to say she was already home.

"Pssst," she called, trying not to make any noise. Lucas didn't flinch. "Psssst!"

This time Lucas moved, but only to yawn and groan tiredly, changing the channel with the remote. Brooke tiptoed back into the room and grabbed a pillow, returning to the door and throwing the soft object in Lucas' direction. Her aim was as horrible as ever and she wasn't able to hit the boy as planned, but the sudden movement grabbed the blonde's attention. He looked around, trying to find out where the pillow that rested on the floor next to the couch came from, and then he finally saw her. His lips turned up as his eyes showed confusion.

"What, are you naked?"

"SHUSH!" Brooke glared at him and shook her hand violently, gesturing for him to come to her. Lucas got up with a low chuckle and walked to her.

"So you're not naked."

"So you're not dreaming."

Lucas chuckled at Brooke's sharp tongue.

"What's up, Brooke?"

"Is your mom home?"

"Uh, yeah, it's already past ten."

"Is she, uh…" Brooke gulped. "Did you tell her I'm here?"

"Yeah," Lucas smiled. "I was just waiting 'til you woke up to go back to Dan's house. Jake's at his parents right now; he's moving in tomorrow."

"And your mom…"

"She's not mad, Brooke, relax."

"Lucas? Is that you?" Karen's voice cut in. Brooke's eyes narrowed and her body tensed.

"Yeah," Lucas answered. Karen's figure appeared at the end of the hallway. "Look who's up."

What happened next took Brooke completely off guard.

Karen's face lit up and she brought her hands to her mouth, clearly indicating she was excited. Brooke froze as Karen practically ran towards her and wrapped her arms around the girl's body.

That was a new feeling she had never experienced before. The warmness and safety of Karen's arms made Brooke's body relax almost instantly and tears appeared in her eyes before she could even register what was going on. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply the scent of hazelnut and coffee that seemed to follow the older woman all around.

"I'm so glad you're back," Karen's voice failed, indicating she was crying. They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Karen stepped back to take a good look at the brunette. Her face was wet from the tears, her hair was longer and her belly was starting to show, which she could tell because of the girl's tight shirt.

"Both of you," she said, her eyes never leaving Brooke's belly.

"I'm glad I'm back," Brooke lied.

"I bet you're hungry. You slept a lot. Are you hungry?"

"Not much."

"But you need to eat correctly," Karen protested. "C'mon, just a little."

"Alright," Brooke forced a smile, not in the mood to argue. Plus, she was a little hungry and since she was already getting fat, she figured a little more wouldn't hurt.

"Have you been taking vitamins?"

"Yeah, some stuff my doctor prescript."

"Good," Karen smiled. "C'mon, let's fix you something to eat."

Both women left the hallway; the older woman's arm around the younger's shoulders. Lucas smiled at the sight.

Things were going to be okay.

XOXOXOXO

There were lots of places in the small city Brooke liked. The River Court, the beach, Karen's café, the old abandoned park she used to play when she was a kid, the bridge where she and Peyton used to meet when they were little, the mall and the school. All of those places had a different part of her life and memory; all of them carried some of the most meaningful moments in her life. However, some of those moments weren't as good as she wished they were.

She told Lucas she was pregnant in the River Court.

She nearly drowned in the sea once.

She was turned down by Lucas a few times on his mom's café.

She broke her leg in the park.

She had to be strong for Peyton when her mother died and the blond girl cried on her shoulder on that bridge.

She met Nikki on the mall.

She wasn't welcomed in school.

The sun was barely visible in the sky, hidden by dark clouds that clearly indicated rain. The wind was weak and cold, and even though Brooke loved when it was sunny, she loved it even more when it was cold. Peyton used to say that said a lot about her; that people who liked sunny days were people who liked constants, people who wanted safety. Brooke thought that was bullshit and laughed at her friend.

Even though the day started good and Brooke got to get dressed comfortably and in a way that hid her belly, she was pretty aware things wouldn't go as nice half of the day. She'd have to answer questions, receive dirty looks and hear dirty gossip about why she disappeared. She wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"I'm not sure I am ready for that."

"Nonsense," Lucas answered. "Just ignore them. I know you can do it, Brooke."

"But… They'll have to know sometime. I mean, my belly will grow even more."

"We'll handle it when the time comes," Lucas gave her a reassuring smile. "For now let's just focus on getting through the day, alright? Peyton, Haley and Nathan will be waiting for us in front of the school."

And they were.

As soon as Lucas parked his truck, Peyton, Nathan and Haley appeared with smiles on their faces. Nathan opened the door for Brooke and offered her a hand. She blushed a little and politely declined. They smiled.

"Remember me to never question Haley's powers," she joked.

"What, why?" Haley asked, confused. Peyton and Brooke shared a giggle and they all walked away.

"So, you ready?" Peyton asked. They were standing up in front of the building while everyone passed by them; some throwing curious and malicious looks towards Brooke's direction.

"No."

They stayed in silence, which was broken by the ring of a cell phone. All five of them immediately searched their pockets to check their phones, but it was Brooke's that emanated the noise. They all looked questioning at her, since her cell phone was from California and obviously there couldn't be anyone from Tree Hill calling her.

"It's Jake," she said. They all nodded in understanding and Brooke picked up. "Hey, J.J."

_"How you doing, Brookie?"_

"Been better," she smiled weakly. "How 'bout you and Jenny?"

_"We've both definitely been better, too, but we're not giving up."_

"Good," Brooke smiled. "It's nice to hear your voice."

And it really was.

The moment Brooke heard Jake's soothing voice her body instantly relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, the knot on her throat disappeared and her dimples reappeared.

_"Just wanted to make sure you'd be okay back in school."_

"Thanks," Brooke's eyes softened even more and for a moment Lucas thought she was going to cry. "I mean it. Thanks for everything, Jake."

_"I should be the one thanking you, Brooke,"_ he chuckled. _"Not only did you give me and my daughter a home and food, but you also changed our lives. You were like a mom to Jenny and you became my best friend."_

"You too, JJ," Brooke smiled. "You too."

_"Goodbye, Brooke. I love you."_

"I love you, too."

All of a sudden the school didn't seem so threatening anymore.

"Are you ready now?" Haley asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Brooke smiled back. "I think I am."

XOXOXOXO

She wasn't.

School was a lot harder than she thought it would be. People looked at her like she was some sort of freak and she could clearly see they were gossiping about her. It was really weird, since usually she was the one gossiping, not the one being gossiped about. Actually, she _was_ gossiped about, but never that obviously. Usually people talked about her in their classes – especially the ones they didn't share.

"What's wrong with people?" Brooke whispered to Haley. "Do you, like, have a new hotter girl around or what?"

"Not really," Haley shrugged. "But people gossiped _a lot_ about your sudden disappearance. Which, coincidentally, was together with Jake's. And, well, people gossip. _A lot_. Really, A LOT."

"Well, at least people didn't forget about you," Peyton tried to make her feel better, but it was no use.

"Now I know how it is to have people whispering and looking at you that way. It's… annoying."

"Yeah, well."

"Haley, I'm sorry about all the times I did that to you."

"Brooke, you never did that to me."

"Oh," Brooke looked surprised. "So you never noticed. Good."

"What?!"

But Brooke had already walked away with a giggle.

XOXOXOXO

_There isn't one single good soul in this stupid school_, Brooke thought as she pushed open the door to her chem. class. She was a lot early and there were only three people already there, besides the teacher. She sat in front of some nerdy girl with tick glasses she had never noticed before and opened her notebook.

The teacher eyed her curiously for a second before returning to his papers and Brooke shrugged with a roll of eye. She got a drawing pencil she had stolen from Peyton and decided to draw a little. If Peyton did it, it couldn't be hard.

And it wasn't.

She started drawing a thin head, deciding the character would be a woman. She drew floating wavy hair that in her imagination would be red, but she didn't color it. Brooke decided to leave the face for later and drew a long, elegant neck. She was drawing out of boredom, but when she finished the neck and started to think of an outfit to draw, something inside of her clicked and her hand gained life.

People started to show up and take their places, but Brooke didn't notice anything or anyone around her. Her eyes didn't leave the notebook not even when the teacher began the class and she only stopped when she finished one drawing and began another.

_Huh_, Brooke thought. _Who would've thought drawing could be so cool?_

XOXOXOXO

By the end of the class, Brooke was sure she had at least fifteen pages filled with _croquis_. She didn't mean to create clothes when she decided to draw; she just wanted to draw. But when she drew the first piece, she started to feel anxious to begin a new drawing only to create its clothes, not face, hair or expression.

"Class dismissed," said the teacher at some point. Brooke closed her notebook with a satisfied smile and left the class very aware of all the curious looks thrown at her direction. Her stomach lurched.

"Brooke!" An excited voice caught her attention. Brooke turned around and was surprised by thin arms threw around her neck.

"Bevin!" When Brooke finally got over the initial shock and decided to hug Bevin back, the blonde stepped back. Just then she realized many other cheerleaders behind the blond girl; the whole squad except for Peyton.

"Wow, I can't believe you're back!" Bevin squealed and Brooke couldn't help the amused grin. As much as she'd like to say otherwise, she'd missed the squealing cheerleaders. "Peyton's a great captain, but we missed you!"

"Don't tell Peyton, but her choreographies suck," said Amy, a sophomore girl who was in Brooke's literature class and practically begged to enter the squad. The girl had begged so much that Brooke finally decided to give her a chance and the girl turned out to have some talent.

"I know," Brooke giggled.

"Are you coming back to the team?" One of the girls asked excitedly.

"Hell, yeah!" Brooke was glad that she was finally being accepted back in school. She was afraid the cheerleaders wouldn't want to look at her face ever again and she'd be hated by everyone in school except for Peyton, Lucas and maybe Nathan and Haley.

"Not so fast," Theresa, the most annoying of the cheerleaders, interrupted all the excitement with her equally annoying voice. "How do we know if Brooke's not leaving again? She has to prove she's gonna stay faithful to us."

The other cheerleaders shared silent looks and Brooke could tell they all agreed with Theresa.

"And how do I do that?" Brooke asked.

"Simple," Theresa answered with a smirk. "You throw us a party."

_Uh-oh_, Brooke thought.

XOXOXOXO

That night, Brooke dreamed her baby didn't exist. She was lying on a hospital bed, delivering, when a doctor looked between her legs and then looked up at her face with a blank expression.

"There's no baby," he said.

"She ran away?" Brooke asked fearfully.

"You weren't a good mother," his tone was accusing. "You shouldn't have drunk and smoked so much."

"I didn't drink!" Brooke's eyes narrowed. "I swear to God, I didn't drink! Or smoke!"

"The signs are clear as water, Penelope," he said. "You drank too much. Your baby bled to death because of you."

Suddenly, when Brooke looked at the floor, there was a big pool of blood and, on it, something that made Brooke scream for dear life.

N/A: I know, I know, stupid chapter with nothing in it. BUT believe me when I say, there's a reason for Brooke's constant nightmares; and it's not fear. Oh, I'm so excited!! There are so many ideas in my head; I just can't find the right words to bring them to the paper. But let's see :)

Thanks for the reviews, people! You rock!


	15. When He Gives a Rat's Ass

**Trust Me, It's Yours**

Chapter XV

When He Gives a Rat's Ass

White.

The whole room was all white. The walls, the floor, the bed, the sheets, the furniture. It was all so white it could probably blind someone. It was as if she had entered José Saramago's novel, _Blindness_, for a moment. She couldn't open her mouth or make any sound. Tears fell from her eyes before she could even process what was going on around her. She sobbed.

There were people around her, speaking with worried whispers. She sobbed harder.

"Brooke?"

There are moments in people's lives in which they find themselves in scary situations. As these situations arrive, there's always a name that comes to their minds. To most people, the name is "mom" or "dad". To Brooke, it was a mix of Peyton and Jake. However, who she saw at that moment made her feel more relaxed than she thought anyone else could. It was Karen, her ex-boyfriend's mom. Karen, the woman that got pregnant at the age of 16 and raised a son all by herself. Karen, the woman who had every reason to be mad at everything and everyone, but chose to be kind and friendly.

"I'm right here," she said. Brooke tried to squeeze her hand, but suddenly everything seemed in slow motion. And then it went dark.

XOXOXOXO

_There are moments in people's lives in which they find themselves in scary situations__. As these situations arrive, there's always a name that comes to their minds. To most people, the name is "mom" or "dad". To me, it is "Keith". Although he's not the most conventional type, to me he's always going to be "dad". Which is why he was the one I called when I found out my ex-girlfriend who carried my baby was in the hospital._

_My name is Lucas Scott and you are now about to read the story of my life. However, I leave you a warning: it may or may not turn out okay. Right now, it feels like it's not. When I find out, I'll let you know._

"It's going to be okay." Keith said as he hugged Lucas. The blond boy had acted tough the entire time during the wait, but the moment he felt Keith's protective big arms around his body, he felt like a small boy who had lost his favorite toy. So he wrapped his arms around Keith's big body and buried his face in his warm chest, actually sobbing.

"Everything's just so messed up," Lucas said after he managed to stop sobbing. "Brooke left and then came back, and it's just… it's all just so fast. As if it wasn't already going to be hard to raise a child, I thought that we'd at least have a few months of peace before she came… Everything's just so wrong."

"It's going to be okay," Keith said with a confidence that actually made him feel better.

"Brooke's such a big mess," Lucas brushed his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt as he and Keith sat down on the comfortable white chairs that filled all the hallways. "She's so sensitive and… vulnerable all the time. I feel like I have to be really careful around her all the time, as if she could… as if she would just run away. Like a street cat."

"I think that's the perfect way of describing Brooke," Keith smiled. "A street cat."

Lucas chuckled between his sobs.

"She'd be so mad if she heard me saying that about her," he smiled. "I can almost see her kinking her eyebrow at me, biting her cheek on the inside."

Keith and Lucas shared a brief chuckle before silence fell upon them again. A million thoughts ran through Lucas' brain that moment. All he knew was that his mom phoned Dan's house in the middle of the night, saying that Brooke was shaking in her sleep and then she wouldn't wake up. She sounded really scared over the phone and Lucas wasn't sure if things were going to be okay like Keith kept saying they would.

He sighed.

"Please, be okay." His whisper was so low that he wondered if it was anything more than just a thought; anything more than a silent pray.

XOXOXOXO

"It's stress," the doctor said. It seemed as if that was the only excuse doctors gave nowadays. Was it really possible that people were under so much stress?

"Stress?" Karen furrowed her eyebrows. He nodded.

"You said she was talking in her sleep," it was an affirmation, but it sounded like a question, so Karen nodded.

"And shaking," she added.

"How long has she been having night terror?"

"Well, I…" Karen stuttered. "I don't know. That was only the second night she spent in my house."

"So you're not her mother?" he sounded surprised.

"No, I'm her legal guardian," Karen wondered why that even mattered. "She's pregnant with my son's baby."

"And where's your son?"

"The waiting room."

"He lives with you two?"

"No, he lives with…" Karen hesitated. "With his father. Why does that even matter?"

"Could you please ask your son to come in?"

"Alright…" Karen sighed and left the room, returning a minute later with an equally hesitant Lucas. Karen introduced them out of politeness, but deep down she wondered what that was all about.

"So, Lucas," the doctor motioned for them to sit down. "How long have you and Brooke been dating?"

"We're not dating anymore…" Lucas blushed.

"Oh," they could both sense the doctor trying not to judge him. "But you did date."

"Yeah…"

"Did she use to have nightmares often?"

"Uh…" Lucas knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "No… Not really. Not even once. She was extra cheery in the morning, actually."

"I see…" the doctor sighed. "I could be wrong, but I think Brooke's nightmares are due to the big amount of stress put on her lately. I suggest you take her to a specialist."

"A specialist?" Lucas asked, confused. "Like a psychiatrist?"

"A psychotherapist, to be more precise," he answered. "Psychotherapists deal with personality, anxiety and the subconscious."

"It's pretty clear what Brooke's scare is about to me," Lucas replied somewhat harsh. "She's 16 years old and she's pregnant – that's what she's scared of. She just needs some time, that's all."

"You don't understand, she–"

"_You _don't understand! You don't know her!"

"It's dangerous for the baby," the doctor replied as calmly as he could, but his voice was still a little louder than before. Lucas' expression softened immediately.

"What?" He blurted.

"She's only 16 and this is a dangerous pregnancy," the doctor explained, now calm. "Stress will only make the situations worse. Maybe a doctor could prescribe something that won't do any harm to the baby and will help her get through the nights – and even days – more easily."

Lucas looked away; hurt evident in his eyes. He had been so silly to think Brooke was so strong when she clearly just played tough. He couldn't believe how much he had broken the girl's heart or how hard it probably was for her to be near him after everything.

"We'll take care of her," Lucas said, his eyes never leaving the wall on the other side of the room. "Don't worry."

And then he left.

XOXOXOXO

After thirty minutes waiting for Brooke to wake up, Lucas remembered he probably should call Peyton and Jake and let them know why they hadn't gone to school. He didn't want to worry them, but he knew that they were the only two people Brooke trusted a hundred per cent. Well, about the blonde he wasn't so sure, but he could tell Brooke trusted Jake with her life.

It was no surprise when they both appeared through the hospital glass door, their faces showing how worried they were.

"Is she okay?" Jake blurted out the minute they reached Lucas. The blond boy got up.

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "The doctor said it was just stress and, uh…"

"And?" Peyton pressured him.

"And she needs to see a specialist."

"Like a psychiatrist?" Peyton's expression mirrored Jake's confused one.

"Something like that," he shrugged. "She was really agitated, so the doctors gave her something to calm down and she's still asleep. They said she's probably going to sleep for the rest of the day and she should be better, but they need to keep her here for observation."

"Can we see her?"

"Yeah," he walked towards the door of Brooke's room and opened it, letting the two teenagers enter before closing it. He sat back down on the white chair and sighed. Keith had gone out a few minutes ago to the dealership because of some minor emergency he had to take care of and now Lucas was all alone in the hallway. His mom had gone to the café to take care of something, but promised to return with lunch.

"It's not your fault, Luke," Peyton's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up a little startled and then relaxed when he realized it was just his blond friend.

"I know," he sighed. "I just feel bad I can't do anything."

"If it makes you feel better, nobody can."

"It doesn't and it isn't true," Lucas shifted so Peyton could sit down by his side. "Jake can. I think he's the only one Brooke really trusts."

"Jealous?" Peyton asked without not even a bit of surprise.

"That easy to tell?"

"Nah," Peyton chuckled. "It's just easy to identify people who feel the same way as you do."

"Oh."

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I feel like Brooke's replaced me," Peyton said. Lucas could swear he heard a hint of guilty in Peyton's voice. "I know it's a horrible thing to say, but… I'm jealous. She's like Jenny's new mom and Jake just… adores her. You know?"

"That doesn't make you a horrible person," Lucas shrugged. "At least I hope it doesn't, or else I'm a terrible person, too, because I feel the exact same way about Jake."

"I feel like I should be glad Jake was there for Brooke and vice-versa, but the jealousy is still there, like… all the time."

"Brooke never told me she loved me, but she did it with Jake."

"You never told her, either."

"I know."

They stayed in silence.

XOXOXOXO

Brooke slept the rest of the day and sometimes it felt as if she would never wake up. Peyton and Jake left at some point to be with Jenny, but Lucas refused to go anywhere. Nathan and Haley arrived shortly after, but only stayed for a couple of minutes. Nathan had to work – he was now working as a mechanic with Keith – and Haley had to go help Karen at the café. Karen managed to leave the café at some point and then stayed the rest of the day in the hospital with Lucas. However, he still hadn't brought himself to enter Brooke's room. He just sat in the hallway, waiting.

"You know," Karen started after practically the whole day in silence, only staring at the small TV that hung from the ceiling. "When you were in the hospital, after the accident, I was worried sick and couldn't leave your side."

Lucas looked curiously at his mother, trying to figure out where this was heading.

"And that was when I met Brooke," she chuckled at the memory. "I remember talking to Peyton about her mom and she trying to cheer me up, but it just made me feel more depressed. And then… Brooke entered with thousands of bags. She brought me chocolate because that's what she eats when she's blue. And she said that we could be in a better place if we dipped into a sugar coma. When she realized what she'd said, she started to apologize and if it weren't for the situation, I would've laughed a lot."

Lucas laughed along with his mother.

"She was so sweet the whole time, Lucas," Karen's expression softened. "She made this board with all those pictures of you two."

"And the coasters from the place where she kicked my butt at pool," Lucas smiled sadly with a horrible feeling in his stomach.

"I remember her talking about how her mom wouldn't notice her even if she caught on fire."

"It's true," Lucas looked away. "I always thought she was being overly dramatic, but… Her mom… She's just so horrible. When we thought the baby could be with Down's syndrome, I thought that… Well, I thought she would be worried or something. And then we found out the baby was okay and we just left California; just like that. It's just weird; she didn't even try to stop Brooke. She just… she doesn't care."

"She doesn't deserve this," Karen sighed. "Brooke. She's such a sweet girl. I don't really know her yet, but I can tell she really liked you. She really likes you."

"I don't think so, mom," Lucas finally brought himself to look back at her. "She keeps pushing me away all the time, like… I don't know, it's just… I never thought about how this would crush her. I mean, I knew she'd be upset about me and Peyton, but… She was heartbroken."

"That's because she likes, you, Luke," Karen caressed his hair with one hand, trying to comfort her son. "And it scares her. I'm just guessing, but I think you were the first good guy she ever dated."

"Yeah," he chuckled and rested his forehead on his mother's shoulder. He felt tears burning his eyes, but they never fell. "She gave a rat's ass about me. And I broke her heart."

"Maybe you should talk to her," Karen stroked his hair. "Honestly, I don't think there's anything you can say to make her feel better."

Lucas closed his eyes and sighed.

"But," Karen continued. "There may be some things you can tell her to make _you_ feel better about yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Talk to her," she simply said. "Get it all off of your chest."

Lucas looked up and met Karen's encouraging eyes.

"Go on," she said. "I'll be here waiting for you."

XOXOXOXO

Lucas took a deep breath as he opened the door to Brooke's room. Different from when he woke up from his accident, Brooke didn't have tubes and machines connected to her body. She just lay there, sleeping peacefully. He hoped she wouldn't have any of those crazy nightmares Jake told him she had been having.

"Hey, Pretty Girl," Lucas swallowed hard and sat down next to her bed. He wondered if he could hold her hand, but he was too afraid of her flinching at his touch, so he just sat and stared at her face. Her expression was neutral and some hair fell on her eyes, making her look beautiful. He raised his hand to take the hair out of her face, but stopped it mid-air and gave up. He sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Brooke," he started a little unsure. "I really am. I think you know that and I know you forgave me, but I don't think you forgot. Not that I blame you, coz I don't. You have every right to hate me, despise me, whatever. I just…"

His shoulders dropped as he finally started to relax.

"You know, Leo Buscaglia once wrote that what we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life." He looked out of the window. "I think he's right. We're happy if we want to be. I really want to be happy, but it's no use if I don't act on that desire."

He looked back at her.

"I don't know, I guess I just…" he paused. "I know you want to be happy, too. But I don't see you acting on that at all, Brooke. It's like you're letting all the pain and hurting eat you alive and I'm just so afraid of reaching out to help you, because I know you flinch at the lightest touch. I want to come and help you, but it's just so damn hard. I want to get to you; I want to save you."

He looked down.

"I want to love you, Brooke."

He looked up and his expression softened.

"I give a rat's ass. For real, this time."


End file.
